Steamboat Pilot & Today | Behavioral health needs call for 'all hands on deck'
The continuing behavioral and mental health struggles of citizens and an elevated number of suicides in the Yampa Valley are leading to an “all hands on deck” response as evidenced by a powerhouse of officials who gathered for the launch of the Yampa Valley Behavioral Health Coalition... Another important mental health measure slated to go live at the end of August is the Routt County Mental Health Response Team, a new local co-responder partner program, explained Dawn Smith, sheriff’s office patrol deputy. The team is designed to improve responses to behavioral health crises by pairing a specially trained deputy with a mental health clinician. The Routt County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center to provide the service, which is co-sponsored by UCHealth in other Colorado communities. This co-responding partnership “aims to stabilize individuals in crisis, divert residents from unnecessary hospitalization or incarceration, and connect them with essential services,” according to a Routt County news release.