Courtesy photo
Front entrance of the Larimer County acute care behavioral health facility that opened on Dec. 2, 2023

By Shelley Widhalm
The Surveyor

More than 1,200 clients have been treated so far at Larimer County’s first acute care behavioral health facility since it opened Dec. 2.

The Acute Care Facility at the Larimer County Longview Campus, 2260 W. Trilby Road in Fort Collins, is a 24/7 walk-in integrated behavioral health urgent care facility that provides services to Larimer County residents in crisis. The facility, voter-approved and costing $46.2 million to build, offers care and treatment of mental health and/or substance use disorders to stabilize and treat clients.

“The ability to have multiple levels of care available to step clients into or down from in one facility is certainly unique to have in Colorado,” said Dr. Lesley Brooks, chief medical officer for Larimer County Behavioral Health Services.

The 61,000-square-foot facility currently offers walk-in crisis, mobile crisis, 23-hour observation, crisis stabilization through a short-term inpatient program, and both medical and non-medical withdrawal management. It has 24 beds with room for expansion up to 64 beds, and there is an onsite pharmacy and laboratory.

“(This) allows us to serve most clients in need of acute behavioral health services and makes the process of accessing care less burdensome for folks,” Brooks said.

Clients can access multiple levels of care at one location and work with a comprehensive care team available 24/7. They start with an intake team that provides a seamless transfer of care from family, law enforcement officers and other first responders to the facility. The clients then are assigned a care team that coordinates their care plan.

“As our population has grown in the county, we have not kept up with the complete spectrum of behavioral services this community needs,” said Laura Walker, human and economic health director of Larimer County Behavioral Health Services, adding that historically, clients had to travel to other communities for some services, including withdrawal management. “We believe that people are more likely to continue with necessary behavioral health treatment if they can have their initial assessment in the community where they need help.”

By the end of January, nearly 900 clients sought services from the Acute Care Facility, and 40% were admitted into one of the units in the facility. Comparatively, SummitStone Health Partners saw about 200 people a month in walk-in urgent care.
“The number more than doubled. That tells us that we are meeting a critical need and that people are seeking help,” said Jennifer Wolfe-Kimbell, communication specialist for Larimer County Behavioral Health Services. “A few more months of providing services at Acute Care will give us so much more information about who is utilizing the services, where there are still needs and how we should move forward.”

Larimer County contracts with SummitStone to provide services within the facility and will continue to own the building. SummitStone subcontracts with UCHealth to provide the pharmacy and electronic health records.

SummitStone has 11 other locations in the county, including Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park. Primarily, those locations are dedicated to out-patient services, plus there is an administrative location, an employment and education center called Spirit Crossing Clubhouse, and a residential unit called Garcia House.

“We previously operated a Crisis Services Unit in Fort Collins, but the Longview facility is able to offer more extensive care, including withdrawal management,” Brooks said.

The Acute Care Facility currently operates with a staff of nearly 180 employees. Future phases of acute care will depend on community needs and can include short-term intensive residential treatment, an opioid treatment program, and a Behavioral Health Institute/Center of Excellence for Training and Professional Development.

“There is a portion of the building that is not currently being utilized so that we can determine what needs in the community still exist and expand in that direction,” Wolfe-Kimbell said. “That could be short-term residential, which was part of the original plan, or it could be used to expand capacity for the levels of care already being provided. Or, it could be used for another type of behavioral health care.”

The name Longview comes from the nearby landscape as well as the idea of long-range thinking, since Longview, which sits on a 40-acre site, is near the Long View Open Space and Long View trails.

Taking the “long view” refers to approaching a problem or situation emphasizing long-range factors, and in mental health and recovery, keeping an eye on the future.

The vision for full buildout of the Longview Campus is still under consideration.

“The county is committed to being responsive to the evolving needs of the community and fiscally responsible with the ballot initiative funding,” Wolfe-Kimbell said. “We know that services for youth and adolescents are a critical need, and we’re working to identify the most impactful path forward to fill that gap in services.”