On the afternoon of September 26th, Community Reach Center was honored to host a Community Forum at our Northglenn location, facilitated by Colorado's Office of Behavioral Health (OBH). The event featured a panel comprised of Senators Cheri Jahn and Dominic Moreno, Representative Tracy Kraft-Tharp, Colorado Behavioral Healthcare Council Director of Government and Community Relations Frank Cornelia, former OBH Director Dr. Nancy VanDeMark, and myself. Forum participants included a wide cross-section of the north-metro community, including school districts, healthcare systems, primary care, judicial systems, mental healthcare and family members of individuals living with behavioral health challenges.

The purpose of the forum was to gather input from participants regarding mental health and addictions services that were working well in the north metro region, and additional services deemed to be needed. The most prominent area of concern was related to wide gaps in services for folks with substance use disorders, including opiate addiction. A shortage of trained addictions counselors for inpatient and outpatient settings was identified as a critical issue in urban as well as rural areas of Colorado.    

The need for increased access to professionals with training in evidenced-based treatments such as EMDR and trauma-informed care as well as non-traditional forms of treatment like animal assisted therapy was noted.  Consensus was that all communities need access to a complete continuum of care that includes medically monitored social detox services, intensive outpatient therapy and medically assisted treatment based on the American Society of Addiction  Medicine protocols .

Had we asked each participant to present their top ten list of priority mental health services needed for their community, it's likely that no two lists would have looked the same.  However it was highly apparent that everyone's #1 priority was prevention and early intervention services.  Community Reach Center continues to dedicate resources on the early intervention front with programs like school-based therapy, maternal health and early childhood services, integrated care sites throughout Adams County and free Mental Health First Aid classes in the community.  

Early intervention is especially vital for young people who have experienced trauma, as research indicates a significant correlation between folks with untreated post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders.  That's why all Community Reach Center clinical staff are trained in Trauma Informed Care, and why the Center is firmly committed to taking a trauma informed approach to every client interaction throughout our system - right down to the atmosphere in our waiting rooms.

We are grateful to OBH for the opportunity to host this important community discussion, and promise continued program development that will lead to meaningful solutions and improvements to mental health and addiction services in our community.