Grand Junction, Colo. (KKCO) – Leaders from a statewide coalition focused on child and youth mental health made a stop in Grand Junction this week, bringing the conversation to the West Slope.
Mind Our Future Colorado is working to make youth mental health a top priority in the 2026 gubernatorial race. The coalition brings together more than 50 groups, from health care providers to educators and community advocates, all focused on addressing what many call a crisis among youth.
“Back in 2021, our partners at Children’s Hospital Colorado declared a youth mental health crisis in the country. We’re on the five-year anniversary of that declaration. And while we’ve made progress, we’re still very much in the middle of that crisis,” said Josh Ewing, Executive Director for Colorado is healthier.
Hearing from the village community
At Colorado Mesa University, leaders hosted a roundtable to hear directly from the West Slope community. Organizers say too often, conversations about policy take place along the Front Range, leaving rural communities underrepresented.
“What do we want to hear from people here in Grand Junction specifically what could work? What innovative ideas can happen here locally or in communities on the western slope that we can see to scale?” Ewing said. “We really want to make sure we’re hearing from people across the state, not just along the front line, because this really needs to be a statewide solution.”
It’s an important input in rural areas where access to care can look different. From a hospital perspective, young people often come into emergency departments when they are in a mental health crisis, and hospitals are not always set up to support young people the way they should be helped and supported, according to coalition members.
“The thing that I have heard directly from our emergency department is the higher rate of suicide attempts. And then also in the last few years, it seems that there are more eating disorders where young people appear as a result of that type of disorder,” said Angelina Salazar, CEO at Western Health Alliance.
rural challenges
Those challenges are often compounded by distance, labor shortages and fewer specialty providers, issues that affect Western Colorado communities.
“That’s one of the main problems that I see, especially in more rural communities like Mesa County, is that we have a lot of really great adult-focused therapists. And there are a lot fewer people who feel comfortable working with young children because it’s a different skill set, it requires different training,” said Alex Hulst, Director Behavioral health in the Western Health family.
Coalition leaders say the focus is not just on awareness, but on action.
“We don’t want to talk about it anymore. We want to move towards real solutions for our young people who are our future,” said Salazar.
Colorado ranks 41st for mental health in the country. Suicide is still the leading cause of death for young people in the country.
The next step
The coalition plans to continue holding conversations in Colorado before the 2026 election. The Mind Our Future campaign plans to hold a forum with Republican and Democratic leaders in May before the June primary for a bipartisan discussion on what the state needs to do to address these challenges.
After the election in November, the campaign will hand over a policy document to the new governor-elect with a roadmap of ideas they can tackle on their first day in office.
Leaders encourage people to visit MindOurFutureColorado.com looking for opportunities to get involved and provide ideas.
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