Denver Health has opened Colorado’s first Integrated Medical and Psychiatric Care Unit (IMAP), a 12-bed inpatient facility designed to treat adults with both active medical and psychiatric conditions that require simultaneous hospitalization.
The launch of the IMAP Care Unit was made possible after Denver voters approved ballot measure 2Q in 2024, which provided sustainable sales tax funding for Denver Health. This financial support allowed the hospital to renovate a previously closed inpatient psychiatric unit. According to Denver Health, only a small percentage of health systems nationwide offer this integrated care model.
“Denver residents placed their trust in us when they approved 2Q, and the IMAP is a direct result of that support,” said Donna Lynne, CEO of Denver Health. “Our community needs more access to behavioral health care, and we’re delivering on our promise to meet the needs of our community with innovative, high-quality care.”
Patients admitted to the IMAP Care Unit receive both medical and psychiatric services in one location. The unit provides intensive psychotherapy, occupational and physical therapy, medication management, withdrawal stabilization, and other treatments from an interdisciplinary team.
“As a dually trained medical and psychiatric provider, I’ve seen so many patients who would have benefitted from the integrated care IMAP provides,” said Bobbie Jo Dodson, DO, program director of the Integrated Medical and Psychiatric Care Unit. “Opening this unit fulfills a career-long dream of mine because it ensures patients with complex medical and psychiatric needs are met with the timely, high-quality care they deserve.”
Denver Health is recognized as the largest behavioral health provider in Denver city and county. Last year it served approximately 126,000 patients through services such as psychiatric emergency care, inpatient and outpatient behavioral health treatment, and addiction services. The addition of IMAP expands these offerings.
“I always try to remind people that the brain is a part of the body and that every medical diagnosis is a behavioral health issue,” said Christian Thurstone, MD, chair of behavioral health at Denver Health. “The IMAP is the embodiment of these ideas and Denver Health is the perfect place to offer this kind of resource to the community.”
The new unit features a multidisciplinary team including psychiatrists, hospitalists, nurses, therapists, and behavioral health specialists working together to provide coordinated treatment for patients.
