Solvista Health breaks ground

A new regional option for mental health care in the rural central mountain region was one step closer to reality as ground was broken Thursday for Solvista Health’s Regional Assessment Center on the Heart of Rockies Regional Medical Center campus.

When completed the facility will  provide: 

• 24/7 crisis services

•Withdrawal management – a safe supervised treatment space to withdraw from alcohol and drugs.

• Respite care – a place to comfortably and safely have a break from a difficult situation.

• Acute treatment – intensive short-term treatment options for severe mental health or substance use issues.

• Individual and group counseling, psychiatry, case management, peer support services and more.

Mental health and substance abuse stabilization services are currently not adequate to address the need within the region.

Most people needing the kind of assistance that will be offered by the center can only access it by traveling to the Front Range.

Brian Turner, Solvista Health CEO, said the reality of the center is “nothing short of a paradigm shift” in providing mental health services in rural Colorado where it is often necessary to travel over 100 miles to get mental health and addiction services.

Chaffee County Public Health director and Solvista Health board member Andrea Carlstrom said with the establishment of the center, “People in the region will finally get the services and support they have deserved their entire lives.”

Carlstrom began her work in Chaffee County at Solvista Health and was tasked with finding a way to expand services with a detox center 10 years ago.

With the establishment of the Regional Assessment Center “a dream is becoming a reality,” she said.

Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center vice president of business development said the facility “will go a long way toward meeting mental health needs in the region.”

He said the hospital and Solvista have a history of cooperation which will continue with the establishment of the center.

Chaffee County Commissioner Keith Baker said the facility will answer a tremendous need in the community by offering options for people in emotional distress.

The new facility is slated to be completed by March 31, 2022.