Chris Dillmann/Vail Daily Archive
To better understand accessibility, utilization, perceptions, and gaps in Vail Health behavioral health services, Vail Health Behavioral Health partnered with Building Hope Summit County to survey Eagle and Summit Counties.
“We want to provide quick and efficient access to those seeking access,” said Dana Erpelding, senior operations director at Vail Health. “Unless we get input, that's not possible.” Community input…and we want to make sure everyone's voice is heard. ”
This is the third biennial health behavior survey produced by the Katz Amsterdam Foundation in 2020. This foundation was established in 2018 by former CEO of Vail Resorts, Rob He Katz and his wife Elana He Amsterdam to support various communities and causes.
The purpose of the initial study was to begin collecting baseline data across the various mountain resort communities operated by Vail Resorts to see if there were trends in behavioral health, Arpelding said. .
“This was a way to get baseline data on what the behavioral health issues, gaps and needs are, which can be similar across the community. This allows us to build relationships and “We can compare lessons learned in identifying not only challenges but also opportunities for improvement,” she said.
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In addition to providing a broader picture of needs, issues, and gaps, the two previous surveys also helped build specific programs within Eagle County.
The research is divided into four main categories.
- Community life. This includes how people engage and feel connected to their community.
- Social connections. Includes questions about isolation, loneliness, social support, and safety.
- Mental health: Includes questions about attitudes towards mental health, availability of resources, etc.
- Substance use. Includes questions regarding substance use, personal use of substances, and community perceptions regarding the impact of these issues.
“Within these four buckets, looking at historical data, we've primarily looked at Eagle Valley Behavioral Health to see how aware people are about the resources that exist. And are there certain segments of the community that need services or are having a harder time accessing services than others?” Elpelding said. said.
Arpelding said previous research has confirmed a trend in Eagle County where Spanish monolinguals feel more isolated and lack support and knowledge about how to access resources. Stated.
Vail Health Behavioral Health is working with local nonprofits to increase peer support for resource availability and marketing efforts in Spanish. This includes the allocation of funding and support.
Erpelding added that the 2020 and 2022 survey data were shared with Vail Health's nonprofit and community partners working in the behavioral health field. This includes school districts, law enforcement, as well as Your Hope Center, Bright Future Foundation, My Future Pathways, and more.
“We share that data so we can work together to improve existing programs or build new programs to address the gaps we are identifying,” she said. Ta.
The survey questions and format were not intentionally changed.
“We want to be able to compare data and know that we are collecting data from the same geographic region and in the same way, so that we can compare data from 2020 to 2024 to date for consistency. “I think so,” Arpelding said.
But this year, Erpelding said Vail Health Behavioral Health is “focusing on substance use and how to help individuals.”
This research will help identify trends and needs to continue building and growing programs and services in this area.
“We're looking for resources on how they're recovering from alcohol consumption or trying to reduce their alcohol intake. We know that's going to be a bigger area of focus for us. ” she added.
The 2024 study is still being funded through the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and has grown over the years to include more mountain communities. Increasing the number of participating communities will allow Vail Health to compare and collaborate with other mountain communities across the country.
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While Summit County has been participating since 2020, Vail Health Behavioral Health is working closely with Building Hope, Summit's behavioral health nonprofit, on research and results this year.
Effective July 1, 2023, Vail Health Behavioral Health has become the designated community mental health center for Eagle County and also holds this designation for Summit County.
The survey is open until Friday, February 16th, in both English and Spanish, for individuals 18 years and older. Responses are anonymous and all questions are voluntary.
The Eagle County survey is available at VailHealthBH.org/CommunitySurvey2024.. The Summit County survey is available at VailHealthBH.org/SummitCountyCO2024..
