Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Rural Colorado Communities are Starting to Embrace Co-Responder Programs

    Co-responder programs are spreading across Colorado as a way to respond to behavioral health-related calls with the intention of helping people recover instead of sending them into the justice system. Co-responder teams are made up of crisis intervention-trained police officers and healthcare clinicians, and their responses typically do not end in arrest.

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  • Why Nature-Based Therapy Is Gaining Traction Among Veterans

    Outdoor therapy, like hunting trips, rock climbing clinics and weekend hiking adventures, is helping veterans reduce symptoms of PTSD and work through other mental health issues. Several veteran-run groups, like Heroes’ Harvests, have emerged to connect local veterans to these programs and they’ve also begun organizing to pass supportive legislation like the Accelerating Veterans Recovery Outdoors Act, which pushes for the VA to provide veterans with the option for outdoor therapy.

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  • Inmates are using VR to learn real-world skills

    A number of state corrections departments are using virtual reality to teach inmates a range of basic skills they might've missed the chance to acquire while incarcerated. The VR programs have helped reduce aggressive behavior, facilitate empathy with victims, and drop recidivism rates. A short-term pilot initiative in Alaska, for example, incorporated mindfulness techniques through VR that resulted in decreased reports of depressive or anxious feelings and fewer disciplinary write-ups.

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  • Colorado's Harvest Farm Battles Addiction and Homelessness in Unexpected Ways

    Harvest Farm is an experiential recovery program that helps men experiencing homelessness and struggling with substance abuse achieve sobriety and become self-sufficient with stable work and housing. The program is free and a minimum of 6 months. The men toil on the farm and have access to case managers, addiction support groups, life and career development classes, and counseling. In the last phase of treatment, many hold jobs off of the farm, which provides added support through the post-graduation transition. A year after graduating, 70% of participants maintain housing and sobriety.

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  • As restaurants stay closed, chefs still cooking — for health care workers

    Feed the Frontlines Boulder is one initiative of several across the state of Colorado that are working to support healthcare workers and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Individual donors and local nonprofits donate money for restaurants to produce warm meals for medical professionals at work. The meals serve as an appreciative gesture towards those on the front line and helps restaurants keep their employees working, use their supplies, and have a source of income. Feed the Frontlines started on March 30th and has since delivered over 2,500 meals made by nine local restaurants.

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  • New Certification Helps Brands Communicate Their Commitment to the Environment

    Climate Neutral, a San Francisco-based nonprofit, is creating a brand label that identifies companies that are offsetting and reducing their greenhouse gas emissions. Companies can purchase carbon offsets, where they can balance out their own greenhouse gas emissions by investing in other environmental projects around the world. While some experts encourage businesses to reduce their own carbon footprint first, purchasing offsets could be a good step toward introducing more sustainable practices.

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  • Using Trauma-Informed Design, Buildings Become Tools for Recovery

    In Denver, Colorado, one homeless shelter is using trauma-informed design to make residents feel more at home and less likely to sleep outside. Architects building Sanderson Apartments considered past traumas when choosing the layout, colors, furniture, and building materials. As a result, the physical environment is helping with the recovery process.

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  • Colorado to allow medical marijuana for pain instead of opioids

    States are looking for solutions to the nationwide opioid crisis, and marijuana may be one answer to that search. Two states, with a third on the way, are recommending medical marijuana in place of opioids to both reduce addiction and "normalize the conversation around the issue."

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  • Outreach Teams Have Police Helping, not Arresting, Homeless People

    Embedded in Denver’s police department is the Homeless Outreach Unit, dedicated to building relationships with and providing access to services for the city’s population experiencing housing insecurity. They work closely with social workers and nonprofits in the city to work against the criminalization of homelessness, instead, taking a solutions oriented approach. The unit has helped build trust between those residents and police and has seen a 30% increase in referrals to homeless shelters.

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  • The Gym Fighting Drug and Alcohol Addiction with Exercise

    A Phoenix gym uses CrossFit classes as an effective way to keep people in subustance use disorder recovery. The class provides non-judgmental support, community, and exercise all of which can have a beneficial effect reversing the impact of substance use on the brain.

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