News & Events
Know what to do to prevent suicide
By the end of the first four months of 2011, eight people in Montrose County and four in Delta County had taken their own lives.
Nationally there are over 30,000 suicides in the United States each year — about one completed suicide each 16 minutes and one attempt every minute.
In an effort to avert such tragedy in 2012, the Center for Mental Health is collaborating with many local caring agencies and individuals to actively inform and help the public know what to look for, what to say, and what to do to prevent suicide.
Sheriffs, Center for Mental Health team up to help inmates
From an article in the Delta County Independent
The sheriff's departments from the 7th Judicial District including Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel counties, in partnership with the Center for Mental Health. have been awarded funding from the State of Colorado to provide jail-based behavioral health services to inmates while they are incarcerated.
Teaming up for Treatment
From an article in the Montrose Daily Press
The 7th Judicial District and the Center for Mental Health is poised to reduce substance abuse rates among offenders - and with that, possibly cut recidivism, as well.
Suicide Numbers are Up in Area
From an article posted on the Colorado Radio website.
The Center for Mental Health in Western Colorado has said that the suicide rates in the six county area have jumped dramatically. The highest number of suicides came from Montrose and Delta counties for the first quarter of 2011.
Suicide Rate Already as High as for All of Last Year
From an article posted on the Telluride Watch.
A huge surge in suicides during the first quarter of this year has mental health practitioners worried. If the trend continues, this could be a record-breaking year.
The Center for Mental Health says that in 2010, there were 15 suicides in the six-county coverage area of Montrose, San Miguel, Delta, Ouray, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties. Already this year, from Jan. 1 through April 25, an alarming number – 14 people – have taken their own lives. Eight suicides were in Montrose County, four in Delta County and one each in Gunnison and San Miguel. No suicides were reported from Ouray or Hinsdale counties.
Read more: Watch Newspapers - Suicide Rate Already as High as for All of Last Year
Suicide rates jump dramatically
From on article from the Delta County Independent
The Center for Mental Health has received the coroners' reports for its six-county service area of Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel. The reports are for the first quarter of 2011 and show an alarming number of suicide deaths for a three-month period, especially in the counties of Montrose and Delta. Since the reports were issued, there have been two additional deaths in Montrose County.
New regional suicide numbers 'scary'
From an article posted on the Montrose Daily Press
Recent area suicide statistics reveal a "scary" increase which has mental heatlh professionals calling for community-wide prevention efforts. There have been 14 suicides across the six counties of Delta, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Montrose, Ouray, and San Miguel since the beginning of the year. This number is alarming when considering there were 15 suicides in all of 2010 in these same six counties.
Agencies discuss suicide prevention
From an article posted on Montrose Daily Press
Representatives from nine Colorado counties attended the Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention Symposium at the Montrose Pavilion to hear best practices that could be incorporated into their communities. The event provided school administrators, mental health specialists and community members who encounter at risk youth the tools to develop a suicide prevention program, or enhance what they may already have in place.
School-based clinics recognized for success
From an article posted on the Montrose Daily Press
During the Center for Mental Health's annual "Friend Raiser" this year, two school-based health clinics in Montrose County were recognized for providng more than 3,000 children and adults a medical home. The clinics provide integrated medical and mental health care through bilingual and bicultural services.
Partners to the project include the Montrose School District, the Center for Mental Health, and the Montrose Memorial Hospital.
Operation Round Up Helps SAFE:TEEN Save Lives
DMEA's Operation Round Up program made a $500 donation to the SAFE:TEEN program so that Center and volunteer trainers can take SAFE:TEEN on the road to schools across Delta and Montrose counties throughout the 2010/2011 school year and beyond.
Judy Schmalz, program coordinator for SAFE:TEEN, and a team of volunteer trainers provide information and training to middle and high school students to learn how to recognize the warning signs of suicidal depression and to know what to say and do to save the life of someone they care about.
Mental Health is Health
Mental Health IS Health - Your Local Resource
Have you seen the Rocky Mountain PBS TV ads? This campaign is brought to you by Colorado's mental health centers through the Colorado Behavioral Health Council and is called Mental Health IS Health. That's because part of your overall well-being and good health is your mental health.
The Center for Mental Health offers:
- Mental health and substance abuse treatment services
- Individual, family, and group therapy
- Free online mental health screenings in both English and Spanish
- Information and resources
- Free peer based services
- Free education and training
For more information call (970) 252-3225 or use the e-mail opportunity through the Contact Us menu button.
For no-cost, 24 hour emergency services, call (970) 252-6220.
Help is on the way
From the article posted on The Montrose Daily Press
The Center for Mental Health helped to plan the first "Help for Hard Times" Community Resource Fair. A review of the participant survey points to very real need and very real pain in our communities. A second community resource fair is being planned to provide information and resources to those who are struggling.
Let's address it now
From the article posted on The Montrose Daily Press:
The Center for Mental Health and Pediatric Associates have joined forces to offer a full-time mental health therapist on site at the Pediatric Clinic to provide mental health integrated care for children of all ages.
A call out to Iraq, Afghan vets
Combat trauma is a life-altering experience, and a Montrose center wants to help.
The emotions Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have after returning home are nothing to be ashamed of, explains Vietnam veteran Lee Burkins at a press conference Monday. They are issues that need to be addressed and now there is an outlet for veterans and their families in Montrose.
The Midwestern Colorado Mental Health Center has begun a program for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans that provides a safe, welcoming and confidential place to “learn to heal and carry life forward.”
Community, state partner in suicide prevention
Suicide. It’s a frightening word surrounded by stigma and misunderstanding.
When someone commits suicide, people ask why.
Here are some statistics and answers, as well as some steps toward early intervention and prevention.
Montrose Daily Press, 1-6-08: Resolutions: Don't forget the mind
From the article posted on The Montrose Daily Press:
"As people fulfill their New Year’s resolutions by exercising regularly and eating healthily, they can sometimes forget that their mental health is just as important.
“In the effort to become the best that we can be and in our commitment to self, it is imperative to understand that physical health cannot be separated from whole-body health which includes good mental health,” said Janey Sorensen, The Center for Mental Health Marketing Director."
