A new report on mental health care in Colorado by I-News, the public service journalism arm of Rocky Mountain PBS, states that funding shortfalls have made jails and prisons the main residential treatment centers for the mentally ill in Colorado, and that a decades-long move from large state mental institutions to 17 nonprofit Colorado community health centers has been hurt by inadequate funding and helped clog emergency rooms and the homeless population with the mentally ill. (See the I-News stories on The Flume’s website with this article.)
What does all that mean for Park County?
There are gaps in services, but mental health services are growing in the county, and some initiatives, such as increasing collaboration among various groups, hold some promise for the future. Details in this week's Flume.
