On Monday, Jan. 10, Mesa County leaders including the Board of County Commissioners, Sheriff, Human Services and Public Health Directors sent a letter to the Director of the Colorado Department of Human Services expressing their concern with Colorado's mental health system.
The letter states:
"Dear Director Barnes:We write in support of the letter you received from Summit County dated December 20, 2021, and to share our concerns about the situation with Mind Springs Health.
The Western Slope counties served by Mind Springs are geographically, economically, and politically diverse. In some cases, the counties could not be more different. So when Mesa County is in full agreement with Summit County, it deserves attention. Ensuring Coloradans have access to behavioral healthcare is not a partisan issue. It’s a serious issue and one that cannot be ignored.
We support Summit County’s request that CDHS and OBH reconsider the MSO designation for Regions 5 and 6. We share the concern about the structure of West Slope Casa and the unfair allocation of resources and lack of transparency. We strongly support the request that this change happens now, in parallel with the establishment of the BHA, rather than waiting until after it is established.
The lack of behavioral healthcare services in Mesa County has reached epic proportions. In April 2021, a census of our jail showed that 49% of the inmates were on some type of anti-psychotic drug. Out of the twenty-five individuals who were arrested the most often in 2020, 68 percent had behavioral health issues. Mesa County is spending over $5M a year to incarcerate the mentally ill in our jail, when they should be receiving behavioral healthcare services from our MSO. These individuals deserve better.
Additionally, in April of 2021, 315 patients presented to the Emergency Departments of St. Mary’s and Community Hospital due to mental health crisis, substance abuse crisis or suicidal ideation, without any other medical condition. These individuals deserve better. The patients who really do need medical care are delayed in receiving that care because of the overuse of the system by the mentally ill also deserve better.
As stated in a joint letter to Governor Polis dated December 17, 2021, we have heard about gaps in our mental health system from residents of Mesa County with lived experience for far too long, and they cannot wait any longer. We must do better.
With the impending change in leadership at Mind Springs we believe there is an opportunity for substantive reform. We ask for your help to arrange a meeting between the County Commissioners in the ten counties in Mind Springs’ region and the board of Directors of Mind Springs. Other counties have requested such a meeting, and it has never come to fruition. We ask for your intervention to ensure this meeting occurs.
Thank you for your consideration."