Your Hope Center: From Crisis to Stability

This article first appeared in the 2022 It Takes A Valley Campaign Impact Report.

Your Hope Center Responds to Behavioral Health Crises

When an Eagle County community member calls 911 for a behavioral health emergency, several wheels are set into motion. Local law enforcement, paramedics, and the dedicated team from Your Hope Center are deployed. Law enforcement ensures on-scene safety while paramedics address medical needs. If the situation is determined to be strictly related to behavioral health, with no imminent physical danger, Your Hope Center takes it from there. Collaboration between Your Hope Center’s crisis team, the Community Stabilization Program, and support from many community partners provide immediate and sustained care for Eagle County residents with behavioral health needs.

Crisis Doesn’t Take Breaks

Your Hope Center’s Mobile Crisis Co-response is a 24/7 crisis support line staffed by licensed clinicians who answer every call, learning about the situation or the caller’s needs. The crisis team will respond in person and collaborate with emergency personnel when required. Remarkably, in 8 out of 10 cases where the crisis team intervened, individuals were successfully supported at home, removing the need for costly transport to the Emergency Department. Crisis personnel also offer referrals for additional care if needed, such as to Your Hope Center’s Community Stabilization Program.

Wraparound Care Through Community Stabilization

The Community Stabilization Program (CSP) offered by Your Hope Center plays a crucial role in providing ongoing care to community members with high needs. Launched in November 2021, CSP collaborates closely with the crisis team and the behavioral health team at Vail Health Behavioral Health. This collaborative approach significantly reduces the need for costly M-1 holds, when a patient is held in a psychiatric facility, as CSP works diligently to stabilize and assist individuals at home. Approximately 28 percent of CSP’s clients are 18 or younger and referred by Your Hope Center school-based clinicians. “Students continue to work with their school clinician but receive additional support through CSP,” explains Carrie Benway, Executive Director of Your Hope Center. CSP consists of immediate stabilization of the patient and long-term Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). ACT focuses on individuals with persistent mental illness and psychosis who receive ongoing support as long as they reside in the community. CSP supports 35 clients monthly who will transition from care, while the ACT program currently has 14 clients who will be supported indefinitely.

Supporting Students in School

During the 2022-2023 school year, Your Hope Center’s school-based clinicians treated 941 students. Clinicians work in all 18 public schools in Eagle County and collaborate closely with teachers, school counselors, administrators, and families to address the increasing social-emotional challenges children face. Counselling services are offered at no charge during the school day. The school-based team provides a range of services, including initial assessments, crisis assessments, safety plans, treatment plans, individual therapy sessions, case management services, group support, and family sessions. Access to therapy during the school day eliminates scheduling and transportation issues while reducing the stigma of seeking mental health support.

The Power of Collaboration

Your Hope Center partners with several organizations, such as My Future Pathways, SpeakUp ReachOut, Youth Power 365, and more, to help fulfill its mission: to connect individuals in need to immediate clinical support to promote stability, resiliency, and hope. The partnership with Colorado Mountain Medical, Vail Health Behavioral Health, and the Vail Health Emergency Department is core to the success of Your Hope Center.