As valued members of the Mind Springs Health & West Springs Hospital community, I want to share important information regarding Crisis Services on the Western Slope. Recently you may have read varying accounts of the new state of Colorado behavioral health crisis services contracts. There are many questions that remain unanswered and as soon as those answers become available we will share them with you. Here is what we know now:
Mind Springs Health’s mission of providing life-saving behavioral health care for our 10 counties in Northwest Colorado has not and will not change.
West Springs Hospital, the only psychiatric hospital on the Western Slope, will continue to provide exceptional hospitalization care for those experiencing a severe mental health crisis in our newly opened state-of-the art 64-bed hospital.
Specific to the new state of Colorado crisis service contracts:
Patrick Gordon of Rocky Mountain Health Plans asked Mind Springs to continue providing crisis services, including the walk in centers, to 9 counties in Northwest Colorado for 60 days to ensure there is no disruption in services and allow community partners time to develop a plan for crisis services.
Mind Springs Health is committed to serving the community and is working with Rocky Mountain Health Plans, community partners and the state of Colorado to find solutions to ensure crisis services and behavioral health care, including the walk-in centers, are available to everyone in our area during this transition period and going forward.
Rocky Mountain Health Plan’s direction is for anyone in a mental health crisis to first call the state-designated Colorado Crisis Hotline, 1-844-493-8255 or text ‘TALK’ to 38255.
As crisis services represented just five percent of our operations, we will continue to provide and expand the high quality behavioral health services that our communities have come to expect and receive from Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital. Here is what this means for our communities, we will:
Continue to provide the full continuum of care; counseling, therapy, treatment and preventative & recovery services the community has relied on since 1972 in both outpatient and inpatient settings, including emergency behavioral health services, for our 23,947 clients and patients.
Continue to provide crisis services in Pitkin County.
Continue to innovate and expand our award-winning Phased-based Care – an innovative new treatment program currently available in all outpatient offices. The program is a recent recipient of the Sherman Award, conferred annually by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to nationally recognize superlative patient engagement.
Expand addiction recovery services through a State-sponsored CIRCLE Program, a 90 day inpatient treatment facility for men and women to be located in Clifton, CO. Expected opening is summer of 2020.
Construct a new Women’s Recovery Center (adjacent to the CIRCLE Program facility), a similar 90 day inpatient addiction treatment program where mothers can have their children with them while in treatment. Expected opening is summer of 2020.
Expand opioid and substance abuse treatments in each of our counties.
Expand Mental Health First Aid courses for all our communities.
Expand resiliency programs in k-12 schools.
On behalf of Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital, thank you for your continued interest in and support for behavioral health services on the Western Slope. Without you we would not be able to accomplish this critical mission.
Sincerely,
Sharon Raggio LPC LMFT MBA
President and CEO
Mind Springs Health & West Springs Hospital
