DRAFT - Crisis

The Colorado Crisis System is Here for You

Whatever you're going through, there's meaningful support available 24/7. Let's go through the different options available. 

How the Colorado Crisis System works

Walk-in Centers

A Walk-in Center (WIC) is a place you can go anytime—day or night, all year round—if you need immediate emotional, mental health, or substance use support and prefer in-person attention. 

You'll get in-person help like screenings, assessments, short-term support, and help figuring out next steps. These centers aren't set up for overnight stays beyond 23 hours, so if someone needs longer care, walk-in center staff will coordinate care with appropriate facilities. Staff are trained professionals who use the Colorado Crisis Assessment to guide care. Right now, there are 11 WICs across the state. 

Crisis stabilization units

Crisis Stabilization Units (CSUs) offer short-term care, anywhere from three to five days, for youth and adults experiencing an urgent behavioral health crisis. CSUs are not hospitals, but are staffed by caring and trained providers who can provide assessment, therapy, peer support, psychiatry, and coordination of ongoing treatment. CSUs offer 24-hour care for a short period of time. 

OwnPath Care Directory

Mobile crisis response

Mobile Crisis Response (MCR) is a program that provides face-to-face support to individuals experiencing a self-defined crisis. When MCR teams are dispatched by 988 Colorado Mental Health Line, crisis professionals will arrive at an individual’s location, assess and de-escalate the situation, and arrange follow-up care if necessary.  

Mobile crisis teams do not include law enforcement, and the 988 Colorado team will help determine the appropriate intervention for the help seeker. If you need immediate mobile response services, call/text 988 or live chat at 988Colorado.com.  

Colorado LIFTS

It isn’t always easy to know where to start or how to get the right support. That’s where Colorado LIFTS (Linking Individuals and Families to Services)  come in. Colorado LIFTS’ helps make behavioral health services more accessible, affordable, and easier to navigate—so Colorado residents can get the care they need for whole-person health.

Access Colorado LIFTS care navigation and providers by visiting ownpath.co to search for BHA-licensed providers in your area.