CEO Update: The Sphere
Last year I had the opportunity to see a U2 concert at the newly opened Sphere in Las Vegas. What an amazing venue and what a complicated venue to create the graphics for a show to match the music. One scene featured a concrete wall where the sides were growing wider until they eventually began to crumble and fall. I think of this imagery in terms of mental health in the world and what many are experiencing in life today.
- Anxiety among children ages 3-17 increased 23% in Colorado
- Depression among children ages 3-17 increased 27% in Colorado
- Frontier and rural communities had the highest rates of suicide per 100,000 in 2021
- There is only 1 mental health provider for every 1,282 residents in rural Colorado
- 1/5 of adults in rural areas reported being depressed
CRHC recognizes these mental health challenges and during our Annual Rural Health Conference we have several sessions dedicated to raise awareness and spark change for mental health in Colorado as well as provide information on current strategies rural providers can be involved in and gain resources around. View the full agenda here, but these are some of the compelling session titles and speakers we have lined up:
- Mental Health Awareness – Behavioral Health Administration
- Understanding and Addressing Suicide Prevention Challenges in Colorado’s Rural Communities – CDPHE
- Empowered Health and Inspired Lives – Rio Grande Hospital
If you haven’t registered for Colorado Rural Health Center’s Annual Rural Health Conference there’s still time – register today at https://coruralhealth.org/events/annual-conference#/.
