“Mental health and physical health are interconnected, and this new platform is one of our agency’s many collaborative efforts and strategies to support a holistic approach to elevating the health of the communities and individuals we serve,” said Susan Wheelan, MBA, executive director of El Paso County Public Health. “Complex health challenges require collective and innovative approaches, which is why EPCPH strives to lead the way by implementing solutions which are customizable and tailored to best meet individual needs. We are proud to be the first in the state and the Pikes Peak Region to launch this resource on this scale, which we could not do without the support of our numerous behavioral health and community partners. We plan to identify and build additional partnerships, expanding this resource across El Paso County municipalities and communities.”

EPCPH utilizes a data-driven approach to help improve health, and Pikes Peak Rising 360 is one of several strategies with a direct tie to the 2023 Community Health Assessment (CHA), which utilizes systematic, comprehensive data analysis to describe the overall health of El Paso County communities. The 2023 CHA, launched in May of this year, identified four key leading health areas: barriers to accessing health care, suicide, drug overdose, and housing stability. With behavioral health as the overarching framework of the CHA, Pikes Peak Rising 360 represents one key strategy EPCPH is implementing to effectively combine actionable local data and community partnerships to quickly mobilize and expand access to vital mental health supports.