Partner Efforts by Region
Eagle County, CO
The success of community-wide collaboration to address behavioral health needs in Eagle County is inspiring. Following years of increased emergency room visits for anxiety and depression and a spike in suicide rates from six to sixteen in 2017, and seventeen in 2018, community collaboration emerged as a crucial aspect to address the behavioral health crisis. The combination of funding from a recreational marijuana tax in 2017, a $60 million, ten-year commitment from Vail Health, and amazing local leadership resulted in the creation of Eagle Valley Behavioral Health (EVBH). EVBH acts as the backbone organization in the Eagle River Valley to examine the entirety of the behavioral health system, and develop a plan for funding, implementing and measuring the impact of behavioral health initiatives – all while leading community collaboration to transform the valley’s behavioral health system. EVBH has over 40 partners that it coalesces, and helps fund their efforts to provide critical mental and behavioral health care to all who need it in the County.
Eagle Valley Behavioral Health
Creating affordable access to mental health care for all residents
Recognizing that financial barriers are one of the most common reasons why people do not access behavioral health services, Eagle Valley Behavioral Health launched Olivia’s Fund, a scholarship program that provides up to six free behavioral health sessions for anyone who lives or works in Eagle County, regardless of insurance or immigration status. The EVBH therapist directory provides a list of behavioral health clinicians in the Valley who accept payment through the scholarship program for a variety of services across the lifespan, in both English and Spanish. This scholarship program is named in honor of Olivia Ortega, an adventurous, athletic, animal-loving resident of the Eagle River Valley whose life was cut short at 13-years-old by suicide. As of December 2020, Olivia’s fund has provided access to behavioral health care to almost 300 Eagle Valley residents.
MIRA Bus
Meeting community members where they are
MIRA (Mobile Intercultural Resource Alliance) is a single-stop, comprehensive and culturally relevant approach to resource connection and service delivery. MIRA brings resources and services directly to neighborhood locations throughout Eagle County through a 40-foot RV, staffed with a bilingual and bicultural Community Connector. MIRA partners with community organizations to deliver services directly on “the bus,” which helps community members make trusted connections to organizations and services they need. Resources provided via MIRA include health education, screenings, public assistance programs, food resources, workforce development, coordination with early childhood, behavioral health and physical activity programming. Since MIRA launched in August 2018, more than 4,700 people have been served.
Our HOPE Center
Crisis co-response reduces the need for ER visits
Through a collaborative effort with community partners, The Hope Center of the Eagle River Valley has served the community since October 2018 with crisis intervention provided by a mobile crisis co-response team. The Hope Center Crisis line is available for any community member 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Callers connect with a Hope Center licensed crisis clinician who then also partners on-scene with law enforcement and EMS professionals to deter ER visits and inpatient psychiatric admissions. In 2020, nine out of ten times the person in crisis was not taken to a hospital by ambulance, reducing the financial cost to the patient and to the hospital’s Emergency Department.
Summit County, CO
In 2016, after several resident suicides and downward behavioral health trends, community leaders in Summit County came together focused on fixing an ineffective mental health system. A detailed assessment of the current behavioral health landscape revealed a need for community-wide coordination between behavioral health service providers, mental health education, navigation to services and stigma reduction efforts. Through dedicated partnership and dozens of community meetings, a centralized organization, comprised of health care providers, social service agencies and community advocates – Building Hope – was created to lead the community’s mental health improvement effort. Building Hope now spearheads efforts in Summit County to create a more coordinated, effective and responsive mental and behavioral health system. Building Hope partners with nonprofits and agencies across the County to continually assess the behavioral health system, identify community needs and partner with organizations and agencies to respond with new programs and supports.
Building Hope Summit County
Increasing access to care through insurance
Through implementation of a mental health scholarship program, Building Hope learned that over 50% of recipients had some form of insurance coverage which could not be used because their provider did not accept insurance. We knew something needed to be done. The Building Hope insurance support program provides a major incentive for private providers to accept commercial insurance, EAPs, Medicaid, CHP and Medicare, by paying for end-to-end credentialing and billing services. Supporting local therapists in the administrative overhead work of filing claims frees up significant time and capacity, allowing them to accept and support an expanded client base. Since the inception of this program, Summit County has gone from six private providers credentialed with private insurance to more than thirty-five with a major focus on increasing the number of providers who accept Medicaid. Through this program, Building Hope helps therapists bill insurance an average of 200 claims per month, saving the scholarship program $14,000 a month.
Family Intercultural Resource Center
Improving the mental health of Latina women with a peer approach
The Family & Intercultural Resource Center (FIRC), a human services nonprofit in Summit County, addresses our community’s unique mental health needs through the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA) program. Facing a shortage of bi-lingual, bicultural mental health providers, we began exploring a peer support approach and launched the ALMA program in 2018. Spanish speaking women facing isolation, anxiety, and depression are paired with a peer leader, or Compañera, who provides a trusted source of social support and connection. ALMA participants report reduced stigma, improved financial health, and the ability to manage stress, depression, and anxiety. While stress levels remain much higher than pre-pandemic, participants continue to move from moderate to minimal levels of anxiety and depression. This transformative work leads to more stable families and a stronger community.
Park City, UT
In 2016, after the tragic loss of two middle school boys to an overdose of a synthetic opioid purchased over the internet, the community united to address concerns and issues related to behavioral health for all Summit County residents. Through a collective impact process, leaders from local government, healthcare providers, non-profits, school districts, law enforcement, parents, and community members formed the Summit County Mental Wellness Alliance as a community coalition. The Alliance works to create community awareness of mental health issues and substance use, improve access to effective treatment and increase evidence-based prevention efforts. The Alliance developed a multi-year strategic plan to accomplish their mission and its members have been working to build new programs, enhance existing initiatives, and identify needed resources to work towards constant improvement for the community.
Latino Behavioral Health Services
LBHS began in 2011 by community residents with nothing more than a passion to serve their community. LBHS is a grassroots non-profit organization created to minimize the disparities in access to mental health services among the underserved Latino population of Utah. As a peer-run organization, Latino Behavioral Health Services exists to enhance the mental health awareness and well-being of people with mental illness, their caregivers, and loved ones through treatment, support, education, empowerment, and facilitation of resources and services with competent responsiveness to cultural, socio-economic, and linguistics characteristics.
The fundamental purpose of LBHS is to:
- Raise awareness about mental illness and substance use disorders in the Latino population and other diverse communities in Utah.
- Increase the number of Latinos in Utah who are maintaining a state of recovery from mental illness and substance use disorders.
- Empower Latinos in recovery to give back to their community and impact the mental health system in Utah to be more culturally and linguistically responsive.
LBHS believes the voices, participation, and leadership of and by Latinos in recovery are essential to reaching their goals. All of the people involved with LBHS, from the Board of Directors to Peer Mentors and Facilitators, are people who have been affected by both mental illness and minority status. With this in mind, LBHS established a peer-to-peer system of recovery for Latinos. This system includes treatment, outreach & education, psychoeducational classes, peer support, support, and community connectedness events and activities.
It is organized and executed by family members and consumers in recovery from serious mental illness, including substance use disorders.
Tahoe/Truckee, CA
An isolated mountainous community, the Tahoe Truckee region experiences its own unique challenges to delivering mental health care. Bifurcated by three county lines, two state lines and seventeen special districts, the community has historically battled a fragmented and under-resourced mental health system. Additionally, adults and youth have experienced high rates of depression, suicide, binge drinking and marijuana use. In response, the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee (a partner of the Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation), created a behavioral health task force to examine the current system and create a multi-year strategic plan to best meet with the needs of the region. In 2020, the CCTT behavioral health task force developed priorities to improve government and community resources, and they are currently launching new programs.
Tahoe Truckee Unified School District
Improving students’ mental health through wellness services hub
Based directly in North Tahoe High and Truckee High schools, TTUSD Wellness Centers help students connect to a hub of supportive wellness services, including health education workshops, peer mentoring programs, student empowerment groups, drug and alcohol interventions, school health supports, school-based therapists, school-based mental health screenings, a Youth Health Navigator, and linkages to critical community mental health resources. The Wellness Program also supports district-wide Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Initiatives that increase student connectedness and social emotional skills. SEL initiatives include the Caring Connections Surveys that identifies student’s caring connections and positive relationships with staff; Restorative Practices -an alternative to discipline strategy; Mindfulness Practices that teach students strategies to increase focus, self-regulation and ways to calm their bodies; and a robust K-12 SEL curriculum. Since launching the Wellness Centers in 2012, there have been significant improvements in student health outcomes including an 8.6% increase in the number of high school students who feel connected to school; a 17% decrease in the number of high school students who felt sad or hopeless for 2 weeks or more; and a 42% decrease in the number of high school students who seriously considered suicide in the past 12 months. The Tahoe Truckee Unified School District (TTUSD) Wellness Program is a collaboration between the school district, Placer and Nevada counties, Tahoe Forest Hospital and the Community Collaborative of Tahoe Truckee (CCTT) partners.
Sierra Community House
Outreach rooted within community
To address the significant mental health disparities of Latino residents in the Tahoe Truckee community, Sierra Community House offers the Promotora Program. SCH Promotoras (or community wellness educators) play a key role in advancing community health by offering peer education programs related to chronic disease and mental health. Rooted in the community they serve, SCH Promotoras build deep relationships and have been effective in reaching underserved Latino families and individuals in Truckee and North Tahoe. SCH Promotoras serve as liaisons between community members, health professionals, and social service organizations. In 2020, SCH Promotoras’ work focused on COVID-19 prevention, mitigation and vaccine awareness, and early childhood school preparation – reaching almost 900 community members.
Vermont/New Hampshire
Children, youth, and adults in Vermont mountain communities experience significant mental and behavioral health challenges, including higher than national rates of drug-induced deaths, binge drinking, and suicide. There are multiple efforts in Vermont mountain resort communities aimed at improving these mental health outcomes. The Vermont Community Foundation works with non-profits across the state to identify successful programs and support capacity building to further impact. In Lamoille County in 2020, Capstone Community Action and North Central Vermont Recovery Center spearheaded a mental health and substance misuse operations task force to increase coordination across agencies and highlight mental health gaps during COVID. In Ludlow, The Health Center focuses on lifestyle medicine facilitated through one-on-one and group sessions that integrate nutrition, exercise and behavioral health. In Dover and the Deerfield Valley, the Southern Vermont Medical Center increased its use of telemedicine to reach isolated and high risk patients, while United Counseling Services leads a collaboration with local schools and youth-serving organizations to provide pediatric urgent care for those in mental health crisis in a non-hospital setting. Collectively, these community agencies continue to work together to improve prevention, treatment and coordination of mental health in their communities.
Capstone Community Action
Tackling gaps in behavioral health services awareness
The many crises of 2020 revealed a significant absence in awareness of local mental health resources available in Lamoille County. Capstone Community Action worked with partners to establish and convene a community-wide Mental Health and Substance Misuse team, including treatment providers, recovery support and prevention programs. Meeting quarterly on zoom, they collaborated on how to increase community awareness of local mental health resources. The Team created and distributed thousands of business cards with a QR code to direct people to mental, behavioral, substance misuse and other local resources. They also distributed hundreds of Harm Reduction Packs (which include Narcan, Fentanyl test strips and information about community resources).
North Central Vermont Recovery Center
Embedding peer recovery services into emergency departments
To address high rates of emergency department readmissions and lack of follow care after a psychiatric or substance abuse visit to the Lamoille County Hospital, North Central Vermont Recovery Center (NCVRC) came up with an innovative solution. The Emergency Department Recovery Coaching program deploys coaches into the local hospital emergency department to meet with any person admitted who shows signs of a substance abuse problem. The NCVRC team of peer recovery coaches are available around the clock, 24/7/365. After the initial connection, recovery coaches make contact with the individual for a minimum of ten days, with a goal connecting them to the long-term wrap around care provided at the Vermont Recovery Center.
Lamoille Restorative Center
Reducing rates of recidivism through early connection to care
The Lamoille Restorative Center (LRC) offers highly individualized, evidence- and trauma-informed services to about 1,000 individuals each year in the Lamoille Valley region who are at risk of future, or further, involvement in the criminal justice system. About fifty percent of those served have mental health challenges, and about forty percent have substance misuse challenges. LRC’s pretrial services program offers support and accountability for adults needing to access mental health care, substance misuse treatment, or other services, during the court’s pretrial process. Each year about 250 individuals are supported by LRC’s pretrial services coordinator to successfully participate in clinical treatment, reducing the likelihood the person will re-offend. In 2020, LRC pre-trial programs successfully diverted 63% of program participants away from prosecution and into supportive treatment.
Whistler, BC
The Sea-to-Sky corridor in British Columbia spans the picturesque regions of Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton. Although many organizations in the Sea-to-Sky corridor provide significant, critical social services for community members, the behavioral and mental health needs of Sea-to-Sky residents are still not being adequately met. Binge drinking rates in Whistler are among the highest of KAF partner communities, and barriers to access services remain high. Knowing that sustainable, collective impact is only possible by having all partners at the table, The Whistler Blackcomb Foundation convened organizations and agencies focused on behavioral health in 2020 to determine how to best address the needs of the community. One of the first initiatives completed was surveying both local residents and mental health professionals to better understand need. A new task force will help to assess existing programs and services, identify gaps, and create a strategic plan to build a better mental health system.
Whistler Community Services Society
Training volunteer peer educators to better serve the community
In an effort to support the mental health needs of Whistler residents and grounded in the long-standing success of their outreach worker program, Whistler Community Services Society (WCSS) launched a Volunteer Peer Educator Program in 2019. In just the first cohort, WCSS trained 10 volunteers interested in making a positive difference in the community and expanding their knowledge of local mental health resources. Volunteers were trained on topics like understanding basic mental health literacy, unconscious bias, common barriers to accessing care, healthy boundaries, self-care, crisis intervention, navigating the local mental health system and how to make referrals. In addition to training, the program offered active scenarios, role play and ample time for discussions to give volunteers practice and experience engaging with future community members. Volunteers are supported by WCSS staff and meet monthly to support each other and discuss how they are helping community members. Following the completion of the training program, two of the volunteer graduates were hired as Whistler Community Services Outreach Workers. The next Volunteer Peer Educator program will begin in May/June 2021.
Squamish Helping Hands (Under One Roof)
A community hub and a place to be home
Under One Roof (UOR) is a four-story facility that serves as a community hub offering centralized access to needed social services, including behavioral health, food and housing. A collaborative approach spearheaded by Squamish Helping Hands and The District of Squamish, UOR serves those experiencing or at risk of homelessness, or anyone in need of significant social supports. UOR also provides space to those who want to provide care, or volunteer to provide social service assistance. UOR provides a range of behavioral health services including immediate harm reduction and overdose intervention, onsite counselors, psychosocial supports focused on trauma resilience and recovery-based living solutions. In addition, the new Personal Development for Independence program helps those with challenges related to trauma, mental illness, and addiction find belonging, build resilience and a sense of purpose. UOR focuses on individual care planning for behavior management, utilizing staff specifically trained to help folks explore their options toward wellness, value and purpose.
Other Communities
Crested Butte – Mental health has been a rising concern in both Crested Butte and Gunnison County for many years. After a 2019 health assessment revealed a suicide rate almost three times the national average, and the severity of substance abuse rates in local resident populations, local leaders knew they had to act. After months of research and meetings, the need for a central organization to facilitate systems coordination and help improve access to care became evident. Crested Butte State of Mind (CBSOM) was launched to tackle these efforts. CBSOM works closely with those providing behavioral health services across Gunnison County, including Gunnison Valley Hospital.
Crested Butte State of Mind
Eliminating financial barriers to care through scholarships
Crested Butte State of Mind (CBSOM) is committed to making sure that our residents have access to mental health care. This means helping to eliminate the barriers of cost, navigate the system and connect to the right service. The CBSOM Therapy Scholarship Program connects individuals who are uninsured or under-insured with a partnering CBSOM therapist, and pays for up to 10 sessions of mental health care. Since launching the program in April 2020, over 600 counseling sessions have been provided to Crested Butte residents for free. The Therapy Scholarship Program is helping remove barriers that include inability to pay for therapeutic intervention, challenges with locating and determining appropriate care, wait-time for care, and the daunting process of navigating the mental health care system.
Gunnison Valley Health
Bridging those in crisis to community resources through peer support
In 2020, Gunnison Valley Health (GVH) saw a 500% increase in adult admits to the Emergency Room for behavioral issues. Behavioral health challenges impacting our community members include co-occurring substance abuse disorders (alcohol and heroin are most prevalent), suicidal ideation and loss of hope. The Peer Support Specialist (PSS) provides the first line of support for people experiencing a mental health crisis by bridging those in crisis to community-based resources. The PSS is a person with lived mental health experience who uses their recovery experiences as a means to help others – they meet with patients being discharged from the Emergency Room and in need of long-term services. Since 2018, the GVH Peer Support Specialist Program has improved access to critical healthcare resources for vulnerable community members, and demand for PSS services continues to grow. In 2019, GVH reported a 15% reduction in admissions to the Emergency Room for behavioral health issues.