There are a few days left to fill out a Mental Health Crisis Experience Survey that the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County is conducting.
Organizers are hoping for at least 400 responses – which are anonymous – to gauge how crisis care can be improved from locals who have used mental health services in El Paso County.
The survey is open through Friday to any adult ages 18 and over and is available in English and Spanish at the home page of the collaborative at spcollab.org.
It’s the first community-wide effort to collect first-hand experiences of mental health crisis care across the system, from the time someone reaches out for help through their transition back to regular life, said Cassandra Walton, executive director of Pikes Peak Suicide Prevention Partnership and chair of the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County.
“Mental health crises don’t end when the emergency does. Someone can leave a hospital or crisis unit and still face an incredibly vulnerable recovery period, returning to work, school and community life without adequate support,” she said.
Research shows that suicide risk is significantly elevated in the days and weeks immediately following hospitalization or discharge from crisis care, “making continuity of care and community support especially critical during this time,” Walton said.
The survey will provide organizations working in the sector with “direct insight into how people actually experience that journey.”
Results also will help professionals identify gaps in follow-up care, safety planning and support for returning to everyday routines as well as strengths and opportunities within the crisis response and recovery systems, Walton said. The findings will be available to organizations, funders and others in and outside the field.
Anyone experiencing an emotional, mental or substance-use concern, or who knows someone who is struggling, can call, text or live chat for free at 988, the Colorado Mental Health Line, which is always accessible.