Raising Mental Health Awareness at BCH
- Category: General, Mental Health
- Posted On:
- Written By: Boulder Community Health
World Mental Health Day celebrates awareness for the global community in an empathetic way,with a unifying voice, helping those feel hopeful by empowering them to act and to create lasting change.
Thursday, October 10, 2019 is World Mental Health Day
As our community’s demand for mental health care increases, so does BCH's commitment to evolving and extending crucial services. That's why we offer the broadest and deepest range of behavioral health services in Boulder County. Our services are offered on both an inpatient and outpatient basis to best meet each patient's specific needs.
Three years ago, the BCH Foundation launched a campaign to support BCH’s vision to expand access to critical mental health resources in the community. Since then, BCH has:
- Opened the Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion in spring 2019, expanding inpatient beds, outpatient resources and access to alternative therapies.
The Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion – the newest addition to our Foothills Medical Campus — helps address the gap in our community's mental health care. This state-of-the-art facility is transforming local mental health care through its innovative services and inspiring design. This facility houses all of BCH's comprehensive mental health services in an innovative, thoughtfully-designed healing environment. At Della Cava, a patient can find healing through the: Adult Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit, Counseling Center/Outpatient Behavioral Health, Guerra Fisher Institute & Boulder ECT and the Center for Mind Body Medicine. To learn more about this amazing facility, please visit the Della Cava Family Pavilion page.
- Introduced the Anchor Point Mental Health Endowment to empower and support patients as they seek to maintain their personal independence while they address their mental health (e.g., transitions/crisis stabilization, health and wellness, treatment, education for front line care providers).
- Expanded our patient-centered treatment model that provides short-term behavioral health services right in our primary care clinics.
- Launched Opioid and Chronic Pain Response Program to prevent the spread of opioid abuse and treat opioid dependence.
- Established the Community Collaboration Fund to help accelerate community partnerships, including many that intersect with our mental health focus.
These significant investments have been made possible through the generosity of over 450 individuals and organizations who share BCH’s commitment to expanding access to critical mental health services. We have raised $7.5 million towards our $8 million-dollar goal.
To support our bold vision to expand mental health resources to our community, donations can be made at bch.org/mentalhealth
Mental Health & Primary Care Visits
A year ago, BCH also hired a psychiatric nurse practitioner to help manage the ever-increasing number of patients with mental health issues coming to its primary care clinics.
All patients age 12 and older who come to Boulder Community Health receive routine mental health screenings. Those who need it are offered a conversation with a behavioral health case manager.
Eight behavioral health specialists in Boulder Community Health’s primary care clinics help patients address their “whole health,” typically focusing on the early stages of depression and anxiety. Patients are not billed for a separate visit when they talk to a mental health counselor.
By absorbing mental health care into 10 of our primary care clinics, there is a direct introduction from physician to mental health specialist. This “warm hand-off model” is attracting national attention and buy-in from the insurance industry.
“We hope that we can help small storms from becoming tornadoes,” said Julie Jungman, behavioral health program manager and a licensed clinical social worker.