FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Behavioral Health Crisis Services Announced
Contact: Susan Lilly, Public Information Officer
970-729-2028 susanl@sanmiguelsheriff.org
February 4, 2022 -- (San Miguel County, CO) – The San Miguel Sheriff's Office is announcing a change to how behavioral health mobile crisis services are delivered in San Miguel County. Effective immediately, members of the public, school counselors, first responders, and the county jail staff will be able to access and receive even more consistent emergency mental health services with newly contracted Integrated Insight Therapy (ITT) of Delta, Colorado.
The Sheriff’s office was unable to continue to provide direct behavioral health crisis response services due to staffing and personnel recruitment issues. The Sheriff’s Office had held a contract with Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) to deliver these behavioral health services, but because of these issues, RMPH has now contracted with IIT to provide these mental health services.
IIT, founded in 2019 and based out of Delta, employs nearly 30 clinicians in the region - including three in San Miguel County. They hope to add three more clinicians within the next several months.
Sheriff Bill Masters wants to thank Robin Slater for her valuable work in making the CO-Responder (CORE) program as successful as it was for the last two years, and says he is looking forward to continued improvement with these services. “We know mental health resources are needed, often by those who need them in crisis situations, and I have confidence ITT will be there for those who need it the most.”
Schools, libraries and members of the public can continue to access services via the Colorado Crisis Services hotline - 844-493-TALK (8255) at any time and speak to a behavioral health professional. Should hotline personnel determine additional client assistance is necessary they will send one of the ITT clinicians to respond.
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The San Miguel Sheriff’s Office, located in Telluride, Colorado and established in 1883, serves 7,800 residents and countless visitors across the 1,288 square miles of San Miguel County. Sheriff Bill Masters has been serving as the county’s elected Sheriff since 1980.