The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
CB State of Mind and Gunnison Valley Health
By Kendra Walker
Last week, the Katz Amsterdam Foundation (KAF) announced $3 million in grant funding toward improving mental health and substance use services in 11 mountain communities, including in the Gunnison Valley. Both Crested Butte State of Mind and Gunnison Valley Health received $100,000 toward their mental health support services. The Gunnison Valley was the only community awarded multiple grants.
For CB State of Mind, the funding will be helping to sustain and expand the organization’s current priority areas that include providing free, easy and equitable access to mental health support, through the Therapy Scholarship Program for anyone who is experiencing barriers.
“CB State of Mind is so grateful for the continued support of the KAF Charitable Trust,” said CB State of Mind executive director Meghan Dougherty. “CB State of Mind is experiencing an extremely high demand for mental and behavioral health support, driven by a convergence of global stressors and personal financial crises. As individuals face rising costs for housing, food and other essentials, the ability to afford mental health care is becoming increasingly difficult. This growing need is straining traditional support systems and creating a critical gap in services for those who need them most.”
The funds will also help CB State of Mind continue to expand its free and open community connection events up and down the valley, as well as help administer a measurement survey project to inform strategic decision making about the community’s mental behavioral health efforts. “These funds will support a Quality of Life and Behavioral Health Community Survey and Provider Survey as part of a Shared Measurement Framework guiding data driving decision making not only in Gunnison County but in partnership with 11 other mountain communities across seven states,” she said.
Dougherty continued, “CB State of Mind is on the front lines, serving as a vital safety net for vulnerable populations. We are receiving more referrals than ever before from individuals who need help. KAF Charitable Trust Funds ensure we are able to keep up with this demand, sustain our successes and support the entire community when they have nowhere else to turn.”
At Gunnison Valley Health (GVH), the grant will assist in building Health Equity and behavioral health access for Spanish and Cora speaking patients.
“Through this work, we are committed to advancing innovative solutions that improve mental health outcomes and equity across the Gunnison Valley by strengthening our bilingual patient navigation and in-person interpretation programs, which remove cultural and language barriers to ensure immigrant community members can equitably and quickly access behavioral health and other health services,” said Jenny Birnie, vice president of Community Health and Development at GVH.
“We are profoundly grateful to the Katz Amsterdam Foundation for this generous grant and ongoing support over the years,” she continued. “For GVH, this funding means far more than program support—it is a powerful affirmation of our commitment to ensuring that every person in our community, regardless of language or background, can receive the behavioral health and wellness care they deserve.”
Rob Katz, the co-founder of the Katz Amsterdam Foundation and chairperson and CEO of Vail Resorts, has over the last decade supported community-driven initiatives to strengthen mountain communities’ access to mental and behavioral healthcare.
“Mental health and substance use challenges are significant nationwide, but mountain communities often face unique barriers like geography and provider shortages,” said Katz in a press release. “These grants reflect our belief that everyone—regardless of race, background or location—deserves access to mental and behavioral health care.”
