DEPUTY TRAGEDIES SPUR REMINDER OF COLORADO MENTAL HEALTH HOTLINE
By Jakob Rodgers, The Gazette
An easily accessible resource is available for anyone struggling to deal with the drumbeat of shootings across the Front Range.
The state’s hotline for anyone facing a mental health crisis – no matter the circumstances – can be reached at 844-493-8255 or by texting the word “TALK” to 38255.
Colorado Crisis Services established the phone line more than three years ago as part of a statewide push to bolster mental health services after the 2012 Aurora theater shootings.
On Monday, the leader of Mental Health Colorado reminded residents that the service can help them processes traumatic situations, such as the recent spate of deputies killed in the line of duty, including El Paso County Sheriff’s Deputy Micah Flick.
The hotline is staffed by mental health professionals and peer support guides.
“We find a lot of folks are more comfortable talking to someone who’s been there, than to a clinician,” said former state House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, now president and CEO of Mental Health Colorado. “So it’s a terrific service.
“And it’s one resource that – especially in the wake of tragedies like these – people might want to use.”
Article originally appeared in The Gazette, link available here
