Behavioral health generally covers matters such as mental health and substance use. It is an area of public health that investigates how human behaviors impact both individuals and communities.
Here in San Miguel County, behavioral health is an area of great concern as many of our residents are impacted by mental health and substance use issues. According to the most recent community health survey, 56.5% of respondents expressed concern about substance use. 33.5% of middle and high school students within our region reported consistently feeling sad or hopeless, with 6.7% having attempted suicide one or more times in the past 12 months.
San Miguel County has numerous health & wellness resources to address these pressing behavioral health matters in our community. SMC Public Health both supports outside programs and also provides direct resources to the community. Please explore these pages to learn more about how the Public Health Department can help with substance use and mental health.