Earlier this month, Mental Health Partners, a nonprofit serving Boulder County, abruptly reduced the hours of its walk-in crisis center, effectively cutting emergency services for people experiencing a mental health crisis.
The facility on Airport Rd. used to be open 24/7 and was the only such walk-in center in Boulder County. But the organization said it couldn’t find enough crisis clinicians to staff it around the clock.
The Office of Behavioral Health, which regulates community mental health centers, said last week it had given Mental Health Partners temporary permission to close the center on weekends and weeknights. It’s now open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.
The change comes at a time when mental health providers are bracing for the ripple effects of community-wide, compounding trauma — from the pandemic to the King Soopers shooting to the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history.
“I know people personally and professionally who are profoundly rocked — loss of their home, loss of their pets, loss of their possessions,” said Joy Redstone, director of the Naropa Community Counseling Center and a licensed clinical social worker and addiction counselor.
She said she hasn’t seen this level of demand for mental health services in her nearly 30 years as a therapist. And, she said, it’s hard to hire therapists. Like other providers, Redstone said Naropa stopped accepting new clients for individual therapy sessions a couple of weeks ago due to a mounting waitlist.
That’s partly why, starting today, Naropa is hosting a free, virtual group therapy session on Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. for people affected by the Dec. 30 disaster.
To help people with limited resources during this fraught time in the community, the Boulder Reporting Lab is compiling a list of mental health providers who accept Medicaid or offer relatively affordable rates. Wait times to speak with a counselor vary.
Crisis services
Colorado Crisis Services
24/7
1-844-493-8255
Text “TALK” to 38255
Free
Mental Health Partners
Monday to Friday: 7 a.m. to 12 a.m.
Walk-in Crisis Center on 3180 Airport Rd, Boulder, CO
303-443-8500
Accepts Medicaid
Boulder Community Health’s Foothills Hospital
24/7
4747 Arapahoe Ave. Boulder
303-415-7000
Accepts Medicaid
Therapy
Rise Against Suicide
Monday to Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
720-212-7527
Offers free sessions to people ages 19 and under who are uninsured or underinsured
Mental Health Partners
Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m to 5 p.m.
303-443-8500
Accepts Medicaid
Jewish Family Services
Monday to Thursday: 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Friday 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
720-248-4686
Offers discounted rates to people affected by fires and Covid-19
Boulder Emotional Wellness
Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
303-225-2708
Accepts Medicaid and offers a sliding scale fee
Whole Connection
Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
720-316-7774
Accepts Medicaid
Naropa Community Counseling Center
Monday to Thursday: 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
303-546-3589
Accepts Medicaid and offers a sliding scale fee
Umbrella Collective
Monday to Sunday: 8 a.m. to 8 a.m.
720-663-0163
Accepts Medicaid
Queer Asterisk
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 pm.
720-507-6161
Accepts Medicaid and offers a sliding scale fee
Integrating Insights
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. (Friday closed at 6 p.m.)
303-872-4077
Accepts Medicaid