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Boulder County’s community mental health center partners with Clinica Family Health for an innovative, integrated approach to whole-person healthcare

Members of the Mental Health Partners and Clinica Family Health team stand together at the clinic’s opening ceremony in Nederland.

The exterior of the new Nederland clinic, located at 80 Big Springs Drive in downtown Nederland.

LAFAYETTE, Colo., November 9, 2022 – Mental Health Partners (MHP), the community mental health provider serving Boulder and Broomfield counties, has partnered with Clinica Family Health to open a new clinic in downtown Nederland. Based on an integrated behavioral healthcare model, the new facility located at 80 Big Springs Drive, Suite 201, is shared by MHP and Clinica, providing comprehensive health and wellness services to individuals in and around Nederland and nearby mountain communities.

MHP’s outpatient mental health clinic provides a wide range of behavioral health services – including brief episodic therapy, supportive counseling, case management, and peer support. MHP currently staffs a Behavioral Health Professional, a Client Service Advisor, and a Peer Support Specialist at the Nederland clinic.

“Conversations regarding how to integrate behavioral and physical health are occurring statewide,” said Jennifer Leosz, co-CEO of Mental Health Partners. “At MHP, we are doing it. Alongside Clinica, we are not only talking about whole-person or integrated care, we are already actualizing it in new and exciting ways. This shared space in Nederland, and the time and resources both of our organizations put into this partnership, is unique here in Colorado and we are witnessing the significant impact it is making for our clients in real time.”

The innovative model and partnership between MHP and Clinica combine the benefits of whole-person care with the convenience of a single co-located clinic.

“The objective around integrated care is about focusing on an individual’s physical, emotional, and behavioral health needs at the same time,” said Katie Maffitt, MHP’s Longmont and Mountain Regional Director. “Our health needs are interrelated and rarely does someone come in seeking support in just one area. Attention, delivery, and collaborative treatment of a person’s wide range of needs helps facilitate the best outcome for treatment and recovery.”

Despite the scenic views and picturesque landscapes, rural mountain towns across the U.S. are experiencing a mental health crisis, particularly in Rocky Mountain states. Of the top 10 states with the highest suicide rate, eight are located in the Mountain West – including Colorado. Because of this regional trend, the Rockies Mountains have earned an unfortunate nickname among experts as “The Suicide Belt.”

While many factors may be contributing to this mental health crisis in mountain communities, reduced access to care and resources almost certainly plays a role. For this reason, Mental Health Partners made it a top goal to expand services beyond the Boulder metro area and meet people where they are — in their own communities.

To fulfill this mission, it was important to the organization to have community members who best understand these realities on staff.

“My favorite part of my job is being able to work in the community I care most about and being part of a new project that Nederland has been trying to achieve for some time,” said Ari Goodman, Client Services Advisor and local resident. “It’s exciting to bring this integrated, whole-person healthcare model to the community I love, serve, and call home.”

While MHP’s Nederland clinic prioritizes serving Boulder County residents, including the unincorporated Boulder County towns of Allenspark, Coal Creek Canyon, Eldora, and Eldorado Springs, individuals with Medicaid from nearby counties such as Gilpin and Larimer can also be served here if they prefer.

To access services, residents are invited to stop by the new clinic in downtown Nederland – now accepting walk-ins on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursday from 8am to 5pm. Individuals can also call MHP’s main phone number at (303) 443-8500 to be directed to convenient care.

About Mental Health Partners

Mental Health Partners is a federally designated comprehensive community mental health center serving clients across Boulder and Broomfield counties as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since opening in Boulder in 1962, MHP has expanded to multiple communities (including Lafayette, Longmont, Broomfield and, most recently, Nederland) to meet the region’s growing mental health needs and better accomplish its mission — Healing is our purpose. Help is our promise. Health is our passion.