The $6M will be divided between two of the school’s centers—$4M for the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center (RMPRC) and $2M for the Injury and Violence Prevention Center (IVPC).
The $4M towards community intervention at the RMPRC will be used to promote the mental health and well-being of parents and teachers of young children in early childhood education settings enabling them to provide higher-quality care to foster social-emotional development and resilience in children, preventing later mental health challenges. Specifically, this funding will be used to expand the reach and impact of the STANCE (Supporting Trauma Awareness & Nutrition Children’s Environments) and WELL (Well-being of the ECE Workforce in Low-Resourced Locations) programs throughout Colorado. Currently, those programs serve 44 schools and nearly 6,000 teachers, students, parents, or caregivers combined. With the increase in funds, this program will grow to 150 schools with more than 19,500 Coloradans.
The IVPC, in partnership with the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI), will leverage the $2M for programs supporting home-based injury prevention, particularly focused on firearm suicide and drug overdose prevention. The programs reach vulnerable populations through collaboration with existing state or county programs, such as home visitation services, providing families with education and access to secure storage options for firearms and prescription medication. Additionally, the program is seeking to expand to ensure access to naloxone—a proven medication that reverses opioid overdoses and ultimately saves lives. The current programs have trained120 staff in Arapahoe and Adams counties, serving 250 households with safety kits. The increased funding will allow expansion across the state, reaching tens of thousands of Colorado households.
Mental health has long been a priority for the School and it positions us to have an even greater impact in our state and beyond. The $6M earmarked for the School comes from a larger $50M challenge gift to launch the CU Anschutz Campus Mental Health Collaborative. The Collaborative will draw strengths from the schools on campus, connecting expertise and resources campuswide to expand access and improve outcomes across the age spectrum. Focus areas will include workforce development, crisis response, integrated care, and targeted interventions in schools, workplaces, and communities.