Vail Health's crisis care center provides much needed relief for mental health desert in Colorado high country

Mountain communities often lack the resources available in larger Colorado cities, and mental health care is a prime example. Vail Health's Precourt Healing Center, though still under construction, will address this critical need in the fight against mental health crises, as well as a full range of mental health support eventually.

The 28-bed inpatient facility is designed to provide swift help to those experiencing a mental health crisis. Currently, residents in the high country must travel to bigger city hubs for inpatient care, often waiting for available beds to open up.

"The closest [facility] would be Grand Junction or Denver," said Kim Goodrich, program improvement director for Vail Health's Behavioral Health Service. "There's a lot of people in the emergency room waiting, hoping that something opens up."

Vail Health said the Precourt Healing Center offers more than just the perfect centralized location; it prioritizes patient care through comfort.

"Everything goes into patient care," said Craig Cohn, chief of real estate development officer. That includes things like a gym on each floor for both adolescent and adult patients, as well as outdoor areas that are closely supervised but allow for fresh air not always provided in other facilities that help with crisis care.  

The center construction is expected to be completed in six months, with staff hired and ready to receive patients by next spring. This project is the first step towards a full-fledged mental health campus, offering both inpatient and outpatient care, to serve the Eagle County community.