UCHealth’s $150 million investment in behavioral health, announced in 2019, has led to significant improvements in mental health care access for patients across Colorado. Over the past six years, the initiative has focused on expanding services and integrating behavioral health into primary care clinics.
Elizabeth B. Concordia, president and CEO of UCHealth, explained the need for this effort: “When the initiative launched, more than 380,000 Colorado residents were not receiving the mental health care they needed. We knew we had to take a bold step to help address this growing problem. Behavioral health is essential to overall health and today, our patients have access to numerous outpatient options, virtual behavioral health services, new inpatient behavioral health units and interventions to help prevent suicides and unnecessary arrests.”
A key part of UCHealth’s strategy was embedding licensed behavioral health specialists into primary care settings. Currently, these specialists are present in 62 clinics statewide and will be in 65 by year-end. More than 204,000 visits have occurred through this model.
Elicia Bunch, vice president of behavioral health at UCHealth, said: “At UCHealth, integrating behavioral health into primary care reflects our commitment to caring for all our patients’ needs, both physically and mentally. We know that individuals with behavioral health conditions in our communities often do not get necessary treatment. This approach brings mental and physical health together in a familiar setting and helps reduce the stigma and barriers that have kept too many patients from getting the help they need.”
Patients have noted positive experiences with this integrated approach. John, a patient at a northern Colorado clinic who received coordinated support from his physician and an on-site clinical social worker after reporting new symptoms during a routine visit, stated: “The process was seamless. Having my trusted primary care provider connect me with someone in the same office allowed me to get help quickly, without requiring me to get a referral, go to a different location or navigate the insurance coverage process. I feel so much better, and I’ve been telling my friends, many of whom are also struggling, about how quick and easy it is to get help.”
Other milestones include opening new inpatient units at University of Colorado Hospital (a 40-bed unit opened in 2023) that has served over 1,200 patients; a forthcoming 50-bed unit at Poudre Valley Hospital set for December 2025; increased access at CeDAR with major insurance plans now accepted; partnership with law enforcement agencies leading to more than 14,000 calls handled since November 2022—over 85% resolved without arrest or emergency department visits; expansion of virtual services resulting in over 430,000 requests since 2019; group therapy programs serving rural communities; annual suicide risk screenings exceeding two million; and specialty clinics providing advanced treatments like ECT.
Dr. Andrew Sylvester commented on the virtual group therapy program’s reach: “We’ve seen the transformative impact of these expanded services firsthand. Our virtual behavioral health group therapy program can admit patients from anywhere in the state and of the almost 1,400 patients treated in our various groups, we have had patients from Trinidad, Julesburg, Craig and other rural locations who would have otherwise had limited access to group programming. In just over three years, we’ve gone from offering a few groups to patients at risk for hospitalization to 17, providing human connection, education and support.”
Looking ahead into next year UCHealth plans further expansion through partnerships such as with University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Mental Health Collaborative—a project funded by The Anschutz Foundation—aimed at combining research with clinical practice.
