Boulder County American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) News, May 2024

Boulder County Colorado sent this bulletin at 05/15/2024 08:43 AM MDT

ARPA Newsletter 012 | May 2024 | Boco.org/ARPA

IN THIS EDITION

Did You Know?
Boulder YMCA Opens New Childcare Center, Offering Relief to Working Parents in Boulder County.

Mental Health and Social Resilience
Boulder County Launches New Free Mental Health Programs for Residents in Boulder County.

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For previously published newsletters, go to boco.org/ARPA or click on this Newsroom link.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) investments are making an impact in our Boulder County communities by providing resources to people who were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this newsletter, we share examples of the ARPA-supported work that is underway. We invite you to visit https://www.boco.org/ARPA
for additional information.

Boulder County’s ARPA newsletter is now published bimonthly. You will now receive the ARPA publication every two months, which will still include articles, news, and stories to keep you informed about the investment of federal ARPA funds in our communities.

Did you know?

Boulder YMCA Opens New Childcare Center, Offering Relief to Working Parents in Boulder County

In response to Boulder County's ongoing childcare challenges, especially for working parents after the pandemic, the Boulder YMCA recently opened a new center. This much-needed option provides high-quality, affordable care for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The center features six classrooms for more than 80 children aged six weeks to six years old, along with 4,000 square feet of dedicated space and three age-specific playgrounds.

“This project has been a big transformation for the 58-year-old building, and it’s part of our 150-year-old organization’s strategic plan,” said Andra Coberly, Executive Director of Communications YMCA of Northern Colorado and Cheyenne. “Developing a new affordable childcare option in the heart of the city ensures that parents have access to consistent, compassionate care for their little ones.”

The construction of this capital project started in August of 2023. This building renovation and the new program come at the right time to help parents and the Boulder County community in general. “When people have childcare, communities have a steady workforce. We also pride ourselves on having childcare center hours that allow families to work full-time as well as accepting CCAP (state funded assistance for low-income families) to ensure all families have access to childcare,” added Coberly.

American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds supported the renovation of the YMCA Boulder Mapleton site to expand childcare services to accommodate essential workers from industries such as law enforcement, hotels, hospitals, etc. The eventual goal is to provide three childcare shifts to serve families 24 hours a day.

“This funding gave us the ability to grow our programs to reach more families in need and ensured that we have the funds to directly give scholarships to under-resourced families in our childcare programs at the Boulder Y,” added Coberly.

The program provides a Universal Preschool (UPK) program where all children in Colorado can register for up to 15 hours of free, high-quality weekly preschool in their year before kindergarten. To manage today’s childcare challenges, the YMCA continues to invest in their staff. “We continue to uplift staff with wage increases, benefits, health insurance and retirement funds. We’ve also worked with community colleges to give our teachers access to ongoing education,” Coberly said.

The YMCA welcomes in children who are eligible for lower tuition through the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program. At the Boulder site, kids in school can get after-school care and summer camps; the Y provides space for Head Start preschool programs as well. The program also offers financial assistance, and every preschool family gets a free YMCA family membership.

The Boulder YMCA projects are poised to make long-term improvements in the community, with Boulder County’s ARPA funds supporting the program with $975,000 in funding. Other funding sources include a $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, a $300,000 grant from Boulder’s Community, Culture, Resilience and Safety tax, and a $250,000 Boulder County Worthy Cause grant.

For more information and financial assistance visit the Y Early Childhood Care program.

Boulder County Launches New Free Mental Health Programs for Residents in Boulder County

Boulder County announced new programs designed to bolster the mental and behavioral health well-being of residents. These programs include WellMind Connection, a group of bilingual resource navigators available in English and Spanish, and the Crisis Assistance and Treatment (CAT) team.

WellMind Connection is a central point to connecting residents to both resource navigators and the CAT team. Residents will be able to connect with WellMind Connection via phone, email, or their website for referrals or to appropriate behavioral health teams for assistance in the future. Both programs are part of the Boulder County response to community needs to address the challenges residents have in finding appropriate resources and accessing behavioral health care.

The goal of these new resources for Boulder County residents is to create the right access door to community services and to supplement the other comprehensive mental health services in the community. While these programs are not emergency services, both WellMind Connection and CAT are intended to complement emergency services.

For residents in need of critical emergency support, contact 911 or 988 for an urgent behavioral health need.

In August 2023, the Boulder County Board of Commissioners (BOCC) adopted the Behavioral Health Roadmap, whose shared vision is that all community members get the right mental and behavioral health support at the right time. The Roadmap is the culmination of extensive collaboration with over 600 community stakeholders – including individuals with lived experiences, advocates, and service providers – contributing their voices and expertise. The WellMind Connection and CAT programs are part of the solutions to expand crisis support services, develop culturally responsive treatment programs, and foster collaboration between healthcare providers and community organizations.

“WellMind Connection navigators can assess incoming requests, directing individuals to either the CAT team for urgent needs or to WellMind resource navigators for ongoing support services,” said Kelly Veit, WellMind Connection program manager. “We feel very proud to bring the community innovative ways to approach mental health needs by guiding them step-by-step to find the right resource according to each situation and specific case.”

The Crisis Assistance and Treatment team, a program that utilizes mobile response teams to provide on-site mental health assistance, engages individuals experiencing mental health crises to de-escalate, assess, decriminalize, and determine a care plan. CAT increases access to behavioral health treatment, therapy, and supportive services, and is activated when appropriate through WellMind Connection.

The Crisis Assistance and Treatment team provides culturally responsive services to individuals experiencing an acute crisis with the hope of keeping them in their community whenever possible and helping them understand how to navigate the system by eliminating barriers. The program is a community-based service that caters to populations that historically have had little or no access to mental health care and support. This mobile response team aims to be culturally sensitive and responsive to the diverse population in Boulder County. “We hope for the community to feel like we are part of them and that we will be there to help people navigate mental health issues in ways that feel personable, trustworthy, and relatable," said Jessica Jaramillo, program manager and clinical supervisor of the CAT team.

Funding from the American Rescue Plan Act supports the WellMind Connection program and the CAT team to expand access to mental health services in Boulder County. The $6,000,000 in ARPA funding will provide resources to support navigation and care coordination for appropriate mental and behavioral health services for all Boulder County community members. These new mental and behavioral health services are committed to providing culturally responsive services and heart-centered interventions that are welcoming and inclusive.

Accessing Services

WellMind Connection currently accepts referrals by:

Email: hubreferrals@bouldercounty.gov
Phone: 303-441-1300 from noon to 4 PM, Monday through Friday

These new mental and behavioral health services are committed to providing culturally responsive services and heart-centered interventions that are welcoming and inclusive.