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ANNUAL REPORT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017
JULY 1, 2016 – JUNE 30, 2017
As the largest provider of mental health and addiction services on the western slope we live out our mission daily and seek continual improvement in everything we do.
Building Sanctuary | Rebuilding Lives
The Campaign for Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital
Those in need of a psychiatric hospital have a terrible problem right now. The 32 beds at the psychiatric hospital between Denver and Salt Lake City are usually full, with a wait than can last for days for up to the 20 children, adolescents and adults needing life-saving treatment and often languishing needlessly unsafe at home or in hospital emergency rooms.
But there is a solution to this suffering. We have been planning for a new hospital that will help twice as many people and is scheduled to open in early 2019. Building Sanctuary | Rebuilding Lives is the initiative to raise $17,750,000 towards the hospital’s $34,000,000 construction costs. This year communities & foundations rallied to support the cause by making significant contributions in this project which will allow us to save more lives on the western slope.
Help and Hope are on the Horizon
This year the focus was on designing a patient-centric, trauma-informed, state-of-the art healing environment to optimize stabilization and recovery. It was designed carefully, incorporating feedback from patients and their families, staff, law enforcement and national design experts in psychiatric hospitals.
This highly adaptable and welcoming 63,000 square foot hospital provides accommodations equipped for the very best psychiatric inpatient treatment in the country. The new hospital will feature a dedicated child and adolescent wing, indoor and outdoor courtyard recreation areas, open and comfortable activity areas, day rooms and visiting areas and single rooms with private baths. The following renderings are a taste of what is to come for the new West Springs Hospital. Renderings courtesy of Davis Partnership Architects.
Treatment Works
When people get the help they need, recovery is possible.
Major Investments
THANK YOU FOR THESE MAJOR INVESTMENTS PLEDGED AND/OR RECEIVED IN FY 2017:
- St. Mary’s Medical Center – SCL Health
$2,500,000 - The Colorado Health Foundation
$2,000,000 - El Pomar Foundation
$250,000 - Alpine Bank
$150,000 - Caring for Colorado Foundation
$100,000 - Tammy Allen Unique Autos
$100,000
Honor Roll of Donors
We also offer our gratitude and appreciation to all the generous donors who invested in all aspects of our organization. View our full honor roll of donors.
Introducing Our Campaign Co-Chairs
The Sole Hospital
As the Building Sanctuary | Rebuilding Lives campaign acknowledges, the only psychiatric hospital in western Colorado, West Springs Hospital has just 32 beds. It opened in 2005 in response to the closure of all previously existing western slope psychiatric beds. With need for its services dramatically increasing daily, West Springs Hospital currently operates at maximum capacity.
Overcoming the environmental and design limitations of the current hospital, our entire 100+ staff of psychiatrists, psychiatric & family nurse practitioners, case managers, therapists, nurses, mental health clinicians and peer specialists are dedicated towards providing the finest trauma-informed stabilization, treatment and care.
Our Patients are Saying
“All the staff helped me in ways I couldn’t help myself. Thank you, thank you all. And thanks. And thanks. And by the way, I appreciate it!”
“I’m doing good. I would love to give the doctor a big hug, never thought I would ever say that. You guys saved my life. I hope to one day be a peer and not a patient and I am already in the process of looking into being a peer specialist.”
“I was treated here with dignity, honor, value and respected as an equal. This helped me through a challenging time. It is nice to have the freedom that I can believe that all is going to end with help, healing and me moving in a positive direction when I leave and return to resume my life at home. Thank you bunches for making me a ‘healthier me’.”
“Everyone was very friendly, helpful, therapeutic, professional and caring. Every staff member was down to earth and made me feel comfortable and not intimidated and cared for. I know if I have issues that I am having a hard time facing there are people who care and a safe place to go.”
West Springs Hospital FY 2017 Informatics
Welcoming Our New Medical Director
Frank E. Lotrich MD, PhD.
Dr. Lotrich, who received his Doctorate of Medicine and PhD in Neuroscience at Oregon Health Sciences University and was previously at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has made immediate and significant impact on both patient and staff satisfaction.
The Peer Factor
A Mental Health Peer (also known as a Peer Specialist) is a person who knows firsthand what living with mental illness is like because they do it every day.
Our Peer Services program started small and only in Mesa County with the basics – listening compassionately and non-judgmentally, providing support and mentorship, teaching and modeling coping and recovery skills and advocating when needed. Throughout the past few years the team has not only expanded across our 10 counties, they keep adding programs and innovations.
Our Peer Services program is recognized as one of the most robust in the state and the nation and our peers are recognized as experts in this evolving field of treatment. They are integral part of our Zero Suicide initiative, (responsible for implementing the proven-to-save lives ‘Caring Contacts’ program) and have developed a new model for respite services.
The New Model of Peer Respite
8th Annual Recovery Festival
The annual recovery festival is a day full of thoughtful activities crafted with intention to bring light to all of the hard work that people are doing daily to recover from addiction and/or mental health issues. The 8th Annual Recovery Festival featured an art show, music and creative performances and a biodegradable dove balloon release.
Sharing Expertise
This past year peers were featured presenters at:
- 11th Annual interNational Association of Peer Supporters Conference (iNAPS)
- Colorado Behavioral Health Council Annual Conference
- Bridging the Gap Suicide Prevention Symposium
- Youth Mental Health First Aid Trainings
- Signs of Suicide Trainings in schools, organizations and corporations.
In & For Our Communities
Mind Springs Health, our outpatient division, is the most comprehensive provider of mental health and addiction services on the western slope.
Like much of the health care industry, mental health care is experiencing a tremendous amount of change and transformation. Mind Springs Health is at the forefront of managing that change to optimize our current and future paths of service. One thing that never changes – our commitment to quality care for all who need it.
10 COUNTIES
23,000 SQUARE MILES
9 OUTPATIENT LOCATIONS
Aspen
Craig
Eagle
Glenwood Springs
Granby
Grand Junction
Meeker
Rangely
Steamboat Springs
24/7/365 CRISIS SERVICES
CRISIS STABILIZATION UNIT
WOMEN’S ONLY RESIDENTIAL REHAB
C-Stat Performance
The State of Colorado performance measurement & management system continuously monitors specific goals for community mental health centers. Here are Mind Springs Health’s results for FY 2017.
- People offered a SUD appointment within 3 days of initial contact
State goal surpassed at 99.3% - Clients reducing use of their primary substance
State goal surpassed at 93% - People who engage in treatment following initial evaluation
State goal surpassed at 79% - Clients reporting reduced symptom severity
State goal surpassed at 70%
Mind Springs Health Informatics
The Need for Crisis Services Continues to Grow
Which Way When in Crisis?
The answer is ‘it depends’. It depends upon symptoms, symptom severity, support system, safety risk and much more as determined by the evaluating crisis clinician.The goal is always to provide the correct, least restrictive level of care appropriate for each individual.
- Safety-Planned Home: Mild to moderate symptoms. Has an available family/friends support system and is willing to use home-base respite and peer services.
- Social Detox: Moderate to severe intoxication or withdrawal.
- Crisis Stabilization Unit: Suicidal ideation. Moderate to severe symptoms and not aggressive or violent.
- Psychiatric Hospital: Severe symptoms. Clear danger to self or others or unable to perform basic life functions.
All treatment is voluntary and can be refused unless an individual is under a legal M-1 hold.
Deservedly Proud
Our talented staff is by far our most valuable asset and every day acts of compassion, courage and customer service by those around us inspire us to be our best.
To honor exemplary performance, a number of recognition awards (offering both cash and schwag and sometimes even a ceremonial statue) are presented regularly to top individuals nominated by their peers, colleagues and clients. Here are the award recipients for Fiscal Year 2017.
Above & Beyond the
Call of Duty
Honoring employees who went above and beyond the call of duty.
- Denyce Abbott, Trevor Baringer, Jana Bauman, Dennese Brereton, Marcelle Caron, Patricia Choudhary, Sandra Clark, Whasfia Darwich-Watchman, Brittany Diehl, Julia Elliot, Rebecca Hayes, Michelle Huber, Shannon Lovern, Shellie Miles, Sharon Moore, April Noel, Rachel Ortiz, Jason Popish, Sharline Thompson & Caroline Toennis
Customer Service
Superstar
Honoring employees who exhibited outstanding customer service.
- Kathy Fitzgerald
- Linnea Hayda
- Bob Pena
- Jake Temple
Eagle of
Excellence Award
Honoring entire departments for their superior departmental performance.
- Craig Office
- Mesa County Detox
- Whole Health LLC
Dancing Doc Named to Top Doctors List & More
- Chief Medical Officer Jules Rosen MD was again amongst the 4% of physicians named Top Doctor in America. A man of many talents in and out of the office, he raised money for local social services by participating in Summit County’s ‘Dancing with the Mountain Stars’.
- Vail/Beaver Creek Magazine named Vail Valley-based Katie MacColl MD and Kris Vandenberg DNP as Top Doctors for 2017
Initiative & Enterprise
Established as thought leaders in both the business and treatment of mental health and addiction, Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital constantly strive to improve and innovate health care’s Quadruple Aim: improving client health, increasing satisfaction, reducing costs and nurturing staff. It is only by learning, testing, analyzing and sometimes looking into mental health’s crystal ball that we are able to apply our philosophy of continual advancement to every undertaking in our continuum of care.
Zero Suicide
The suicide rate on the western slope is two to three times higher than the national rate. Zero Suicide is a commitment to suicide prevention in health and behavioral health care systems and is also a specific set of strategies and tools that our organization uses to reduce the occurrence of suicide in our communities. The foundational belief is that suicide deaths are preventable. It is both a bold goal and an aspirational challenge.
FY 2017 saw our start as Zero Suicide champions. Our leaders trained at Zero Suicide Academy, then introduced and adopted the seven essential elements of suicide care to staff members across our care continuum.
The Seven Essential Elements of Suicide Care
- Lead
- Train
- Indentify
- Engage
- Treat
- Transition
- Improve
Whole Health, LLC
In FY 2017 Whole Health, LLC celebrated 3 years as a pilot program in partnership with Rocky Mountain Health Plans. Its goal – to improve the physical health and reduce inappropriate health care usage among ‘super users’ of the system through behavioral health care techniques. Community Health Workers are now ‘boots on the ground’ (as our CEO Sharon Raggio likes to say) in Mesa, Montrose, Garfield, Eagle and Pitkin counties, helping manage the health habits of hundreds of high-risk, high-need individuals who spend an average of 182 days in the program.
When engaged with the program, clients credit their relationship with their Community Health Worker for their success in improved mental health, losing weight and reducing their use of hospital emergency rooms, and statistical data supports those outcomes.
For information on how to bring this program to your area please contact Vice President Amy Gallagher PsyD.
Lean Six Sigma
The Lean Six Sigma method to enhance organizational and process capabilities was embraced by our organization in FY 2017.
Lean Six Sigma relies on collaboration to evaluate and improve performance by eliminating corporate waste like defects, waiting, under-utilizing talent, excess and inefficiencies.
We now have 7 green belts, 45 yellow belts and 80 white belts in house, for a total of 132 employees trained in this quality improvement system.
Rapid Improvement Events (RIE)
- Streamline Hospital Admissions Process – October 2016
- Reduce No-Shows & Lost Appointment Time – December 2016
- Improve Outpatient Through-put & Discharge Criteria – February 2017
- Develop Phased-Care Protocol for Depression – April 2017
Fiscal Year Financials
Leadership & Governance
Our two Boards of Directors are based on the Carver Policy Model whereby a core group of seven directors serves both Mind Springs Health and West Springs Hospital Boards, with four additional directors per board. Our organization is always looking for passionate people to serve the community through our Board. If that might be you, please contact Board Assistant Sally Silliman.
Our leadership team is comprised of individuals from our outpatient practices, inpatient psychiatric hospital, crisis services, corporate departments and Whole Health LLC.
Leadership Team
Boards of Directors
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