Editor’s note: This article discusses mental health care and suicide. If you or someone you know is in need of services, please contact the Colorado Crisis Center at 844-492-8255 or text TALK to 38255. The National Suicide Hotline number is 988.
aurora | A wide range of political leaders representing Aurora led a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for a new mental health facility in the city.
On a sunny Monday morning, representatives from Aurora Mental Health, U.S. Rep. Jason Crow, state Sen. Rhonda Fields and other local political leaders symbolically wore white helmets as they took to the dirt. Dozens of people gathered as they gathered together. They celebrated the first step toward providing more mental health care to local residents.
Mr. Crow spoke about the importance of such funding services and how he was able to obtain $3 million from Congressional Appropriations Funds to finance this project. Other funding sources include Arapahoe County, where he pledged $5 million from the American Rescue Plan Act to support the project.
The total cost of the project last year was estimated at $38.4 million.
“There’s not one family or person in this group that hasn’t been affected by a mental health crisis,” Crowe said. “Mental health has been one of my top priorities for the past four years, and I’m going to continue to put money into mental health and public safety wherever possible.” ”
Fields, who represents Adams and Arapahoe counties, also spoke about the importance of mental health care.
“I don’t know about you, but I know a lot of people who are dealing with a lot of things. I just want to say, it’s okay to ask for help,” she said.
According to KFF data, 30% of Colorado adults reported feeling symptoms of anxiety or depression in 2021, compared to a national average of 32%. The country’s suicide rate has also increased since 2011.
In 2021, 23 out of every 100,000 adults in Colorado will commit suicide. This is higher than the national average of 14 people. Suicide mortality rates are increasing among people of color, younger people, and people living in rural areas.
The land for the new facility was purchased in mid-2020, according to a press statement from Aurora Mental Health and Recovery. The new crisis and acute care center will be built on a seven-acre site at 1290 S. Potomac Street, adjacent to Aurora Medical Center. It is scheduled to open at the end of 2025.
Aurora Mental Health’s goal is to create and provide “one-stop access” to mental health care, according to a press statement. The new facility will include a walk-in clinic, crisis stabilization unit, and withdrawal management services.
