DENVER — Accessing behavioral health services in Denver is incredibly difficult. In a report finalized in 2023, the city's health department said one-third of providers they surveyed reported they could only meet half of the demand for their services.
On Wednesday, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) went over the results of the report and its plans to distribute more than $10 million in federal funding to organizations focused on improving the mental health of those in the city.
Findings showed more than 40% people who sought behavioral health services in the past 12 months had not obtained any type of service yet. These results are not a surprise to those in the field.
"Sometimes when we are providing mental health care, it is like drinking from a firehose," said Dr. Christian Thurstone, director of Behavioral Health Services at Denver Health.
The demand for help is too much to keep up.
"Typically, we turn away as many patients as we see," Thurstone said.
To fill some of these gaps, Denver is making those millions of dollars available to community organizations. DDPHE has reached the contract phase and it's still in negotiations.
Denver Health said it plans to use the money for a detox program to help young adults who overdose on fentanyl.
"So if an adolescent has an overdose on fentanyl, they go to the ER, they get their medical treatment," Thurstone said. "We used to just discharge them to outpatient referrals. Now we can admit you for a few days. Stabilize them."
Getting people the help they need requires funding and staff. Insufficient staff was the top problem impacting services for almost half of the providers surveyed in DDPHE's report.
"Staffing is a big part of it," said Dr. Wes Williams, vice president and chief information officer at WellPower. "I think funding to sort of help stay competitive in the job market is adjacent to that."
WellPower like other providers saw employees leave during COVID.
"Unfortunately, they haven't been coming back," he said. "Workforce is our single biggest challenge."
In December 2021, WellPower implemented a $50,000 minimum wage for staff. They hope this initiative supports current staff and makes it possible for more people to do this work.
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