On Edge: Outlets Unite To Take a Closer Look
On Edge: Outlets Unite To Take a Closer Look
- A state investigation last spring found a pattern of serious prescription errors and other quality of care problems at Mind Springs Health, the Grand Junction based mental health safety-net provider for 10 West Slope counties. (McKenzie Lange, Grand Junction Sentinel)
- A state investigation last spring found a pattern of serious prescription errors and other quality of care problems at Mind Springs Health, the Grand Junction based mental health safety-net provider for 10 West Slope counties. (McKenzie Lange, Grand Junction Sentinel))
About This Phase of the Project
COLab’s initial, December 2021 investigation into Colorado’s frayed mental health safety net prompted whistleblowers and Coloradans who have been turned away from care to come forward and share their stories. The journalists of our state decided the only way to do justice to their experiences was to pool our resources. Thus formed a team of some of the state’s most tenacious investigative reporters and editors working together to understand why so many Coloradans aren’t getting the mental health care they need.
In this phase of the On Edge project, Gazette Reporter Christopher Osher and COLab’s Susan Greene uncovered a report, which state officials had been hiding, showing potentially deadly prescription errors at a Grand Junction-based community mental health center responsible for treating residents in 10 Western Slope counties. In the coming months, we’ll also be tracking legislation seeking to reform Colorado’s mental health safety-net system and working with Colorado Public Radio, 9News, the Colorado Sun and COLab data journalist Burt Hubbard investigating ongoing concerns about it.
All stories produced as part of this phase of On Edge will be available for free to COLab’s more than 160 partner news outlets statewide, and all data from our reporting will be shared as well, with coaching for local journalists on how tailor these stories to their local audiences.
A Statewide Conversation
View “On Edge: A Statewide Conversation About Colorado’s Mental Health Safety Net System”
On May 17th, the Colorado News Collaborative, or COLab, in collaboration with Colorado Public Radio, hosted a statewide conversation about mental health care reforms and addressed Coloradans’ questions about the state’s mental health safety net system. COLab veteran journalist, Susan Greene, moderated a conversation about recent system reforms, what difference they’ll make and
The Original Stories
Concerns About Kids’ Safety at Grand Junction Psych Hospital Prompt State Actions
COLab - Sep 28, 2022Colorado’s new Behavioral Health Administration shut down part of the Western Slope’s only psychiatric hospital on Wednesday in response to complaints about the quality and safety of the care it…
Thousands of Colorado Patients Put in Peril Due to Risky Prescribing of Psych Medicine
The Gazette - May 16, 2022Gene Estes implored his son, Shayn, to go to the emergency room that day, fearful he was having another reaction to his psychiatric medication. Shayn was forgetful, dropping things throughout…
Whistleblowers Say They Falsified Patient Records at West Slope Mental Health Center
COLab - May 15, 2022A troubled Western Slope mental health care center falsified assessments of its patients’ conditions for at least nine years in an effort to make its treatment programs seem more effective…
‘There’s Winners and Losers’: Colorado Is Hoping To Reform Mental Health, but a Failed Overhaul in 2014 Shows How Political Connections Maintain the Status Quo
Colorado Public Radio - Apr 20, 2022A schizophrenic man had opened fire on a packed movie theater in Aurora, killing 12 and injuring dozens more. Something had to be done. The Aurora theater shooter had tried…
State Hid Findings of “Life-Threatening” Errors at Troubled Mental Health Center
The Gazette - Mar 20, 2022A pattern of “severe, life-threatening” prescription errors by the troubled mental health center responsible for treating 10 Western Slope counties put many of its patients at risk, according to the…
Related Stories
Concerns About Kids’ Safety at Grand Junction Psych Hospital Prompt State Actions
COLab - Sep 28, 2022Colorado’s new Behavioral Health Administration shut down part of the Western Slope’s only psychiatric hospital on Wednesday in response to complaints about the quality and safety of the care it…
Embattled Mental Health Care Provider, Mind Springs Health, Hires New CEO
Steamboat Pilot and Today - Jul 13, 2022The largest mental health and addiction treatment provider in western Colorado, Mind Springs Health, has hired John Sheehan to become the organization’s chief executive officer, as announced on Wednesday, July 13.…
Listen: Is Colorado's Mental Health Care Safety Net System Reforming or Rebranding?
KGNU - May 23, 2022More whistleblowers have come forward to call out Mind Springs Mental Health for falsifying patient forms. Past and current Mind Springs employees told Susan Greene with Colorado News Collaborative (COLab)…
Rare Three-Agency Audit of Western Colorado Mental Health Center Finds Dangerous Prescription Practices
The Colorado Sun - May 13, 2022State officials blasted one of Colorado’s 17 community mental health centers for prescription practices they called “scary” and “appalling” as they released a rare, three-agency audit Thursday. The audit of…
Listen: Investigation Shows Mental Health Centers Fail to Meet Community Need
Colorado Public Radio - Apr 29, 2022Colorado has among the highest rates of mental illness in the country, yet it has one of the lowest rates when it comes to access to care. Susan Greene with…
Colorado Lawmakers Aim To Protect Mental Health Therapists From Billing Headaches, Clawbacks After a Rough Year
The Colorado Sun - Apr 25, 2022Two bills with bipartisan support would help therapists in private practice who are fed up with the convoluted Medicaid payment system. They follow investigative reporting by The Sun and Colorado…
Mind Springs Interim CEO Meets With Eagle County Commissioners
Aspen Times - Apr 6, 2022A delegation from Mind Springs Health, led by Doug Pattison, the interim CEO and CFO, met Monday with the Eagle Board of County Commissioners to discuss the mental health center’s…
Summit County Commissioners Take Initial Steps To Cut Ties With Mind Springs Health
Summit Daily News - Mar 29, 2022The Summit County commissioners are taking steps to cut ties with Mind Springs Health as community members continue to struggle with accessing care from the mental health provider. The commissioners…
Regional Mental Health Centers Are Alarmed by Colorado’s 232-Page Plan To Shake Up the System
The Colorado Sun - Mar 29, 2022The signature piece of legislation to redefine Colorado’s mental health system is a 232-page bill that’s causing panic among community mental health centers that for decades have cared for the…
Colorado Legislators Introduce Two Bills To Bolster Access to Behavioral Healthcare Workforce
Ark Valley Voice - Mar 29, 2022Lawmakers in the Colorado Senate have introduced a pair of bills aimed at improving access to Colorado’s behavioral healthcare system by improving and increasing the state’s healthcare workforce. Together the…
Think Big: With Increasing Community Needs, Aurora Mental Health Center Says the Time To Build Is Now
Sentinel Colorado - Mar 20, 2022For years, Aurora Mental Health Center has been fighting a battle of supply and demand. While services offered through the center’s detox facility on Potomac Street for people battling drug…