Background Statement
Having assumed ownership of the defunct El Pueblo Adolescent Treatment Community campus on the St. Charles Mesa in 2018, Health Solutions - the region's most comprehensive behavioral and integrated health care organization - recently added its Family Center to its ever expanding roster of services.
The center, located at 1591 Taos Road, offers youth and family services, and adult outpatient services.
"The center has repurposed some of the buildings out there," said Heather Hankins, chief behavioral health officer. "We have a clinical building that provides family therapy for kids and adults. Eventually, we will have a psychiatrist or a psychiatric nurse practitioner out there on a part-time basis."
Also operating on the campus is an Intensive Outpatient Program for children. Through partnerships with both local school districts, children struggling in the classroom attend school for part of the day and receive four hours of therapy through the program.
What was once El Pueblo's media center is now Health Solutions' Discovery Center, which houses the Intensive Outpatient Program, experiential therapy, music therapy, dance therapy and play therapy.
At present, about 100 to 120 clients are receiving care at the campus per week. That includes a care coordination team that works with 56 primary care offices in Pueblo, Huerfano and Las Animas counties, 25 staff members are serving clients.
At 1 Wellness Way, across the street from the Taos Road address, Healthy Inspirations community classes are offered at the Health Solutions Community Wellness Center. Every Tuesday at 5:30pm, free one-hour health, wellness and relaxation classes are open to the public. The classes generally see 60-80 guests at each class.
The opening of the Family Center is the latest accomplishment for a healthcare entity that has served patients in Pueblo, Huerfano and Las Animas counties for nearly 60 years, expanding its reach and scope along the way.
What is now Health Solutions, under the direction of Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dorothy Perry, began in 1962 as Pueblo Guidance Center, Spanish Peaks Mental Health Center and Spanish Peaks Behavioral Health Center.
In 2011-2012, Spanish Peaks Behavioral Health Center opened Crestone Recovery, offering substance use, domestic violence services, domestic violence offender treatment, victim advocacy services recovery support groups, DUI education and therapy. Also introduced was care coordination: a healthcare approach in which all of a patient's needs are coordinated with the assistance of a primary point of contact.
That was followed in 2013 with the addition of three-week Summer Intensive Outpatient Programs, offering art and horticulture therapy, team building and experiential activities. In 2014, electronic processes for client information was formulated by a "paperless work team," as the care coordination client base increased to 12,090, nearly doubling from the previous year. Due to these unprecedented numbers, four additional registered nurses were added to the department.
The year 2015 was one of transformation and growth, as Spanish Peaks Behavioral Health Center rebranded to Health Solutions, with the addition of a medical center to provide whole person health care in one location. With behavioral health and medical services treated at the same time, the approach became known as "integrated health care."
That year, crisis services were expanded, serving anyone in the community in need of these services. The Crisis Living Room, Mobile Crisis Service and the Mobile Early Intervention Services program was introduced. Additionally, The Learning Center resource house and garden was added, with activity therapy and horticulture therapy made available to clients.
In 2016, Health Solutions was named Best Colorado Healthcare Company of the Year by ColoradoBiz. Also introduced that year was the Zero Suicide initiative, which re-energizes Health Solutions' commitment to enhance suicide prevention care for those receiving services from the health care organization, as well as a Crisis Intervention Team: a partnership with the Pueblo Police Department.
From February through June in its first year, that team made 372 client contacts: 70% of which were referred to Health Solutions services.
In response to the ongoing opioid epidemic, 2017 saw the opening of the residential Opioid Treatment Center (now known as Crestone Residential Treatment Center), which was joined by the Medication Assisted Recovery Center, or MARC.
The Human Kindness Initiative, designed to enhance patient loyalty and fortify financial sustainability, was added to the Health Solutions' lineup in 2018, with all employees trained in the concept. "We introduced this initiative to ensure our employees are providing client centered care and reinforcing care back into health care," said Dr. Perry. Also in 2018, Health Solutions' Sugar Skulls and Marigolds, a Dia de los Muertos themed event, was recognized by Pueblo Chieftain Readership as a premier Charity Event in Pueblo with the Best of Pueblo Bronze award.
Through a state "Pay for Success" grant, Health Solutions introduced Multi-Systemic Therapy, offered through Youth and Family Services. This program, which employs four clinicians and a clinical supervisor, reaches adolescents 12-17 years old who are at risk of being placed outside of the home or being involved in legal issues.
That year, Health Solutions received a 95.5% client satisfaction rate, according to quarterly client satisfaction surveys, with that rate ticking up to 97% in 2019.
Today, at 11 locations in Pueblo, Walsenburg and Trinidad, Health Solutions employs nearly 400 personnel: an increase of 160 when compared to 2011. Its operating budget has grown to three times of what it was in 2011, and through a study conducted by Colorado State University-Pueblo, Health Solution's economic impact is $81.3 million in Pueblo, $1.4 million in Walsenburg and $371,813 in Trinidad.
In the near future, efforts will focus on the Family Center, with the potential for the addition of a sensory room, which can be an effective behavioral intervention in decreasing anxiety. Future considerations include a part-time pediatrics medical facility and experiential wellness activities such as, animal therapy, a climbing wall for youth clients, and a second Learning Center, to include a vegetable garden.