Vail (Colo.) Health will provide $60 million in support of a new nonprofit collaborative that aims to improve access to mental health services.
Eagle Valley Behavioral Health, a joint venture between Vail Health and several community groups, will provide 24/7 access to care and crisis management care as well as telehealth and psychiatric services. Vail Health will provide the funding over the course of the next 10 years.
Between 2013 and 2018, emergency room visits at Vail Health for anxiety and depression increased 360 percent. In 2018, 17 Eagle County, Colo., residents committed suicide, an increase of 183 percent from 2016.
"We are dedicated to continue working with the school district, emergency medical services, law enforcement and the community at large to make sure people of all ages and backgrounds have access to the services they need for their health and well-being," Vail Health President and CEO Will Cook said in a news release. "Ensuring access to behavioral health and crisis care services is the most important thing we can do to serve this community right now."