Colorado’s High Country is, for many, the definition of paradise.

Yet its picturesque landscapes and world-renowned outdoor recreation can be overshadowed by high cost of living, limited community resources, and, at times, drug and alcohol addiction fueled by party culture.

As Building Hope Executive Director Kellyn Ender put it, “Living in paradise can be hard.”

It’s why local leaders like Ender, who runs a mental health nonprofit, are encouraging residents to see a free screening of a new film, “The Paradise Paradox,” which explores mental health challenges in Colorado’s mountain towns. The event, which will also feature a panel discussion and resource fair, will be held at the Silverthorne Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 6-9 p.m.

While the film is primarily set in neighboring Eagle County, Ender said the mental health issues and solutions that it spotlights are just as relevant to Summit and other High Country areas.

“Folks move here for a change, trying to change their environment, and maybe that will be the change that they need for their mental health,” Ender said. “But unfortunately sometimes those problems still persist.”

Elevated problems in the High Country

In Summit County, the St. Anthony Summit Medical Center recorded 88 in-patient holds due to suicidal ideation and 43 due to a suicide attempt in 2023. There were also 34 in-patient holds related to substance use disorders. According to state data, Summit County’s suicide rate from 2004-2020 was 17.4 deaths per 100,000 people, higher than the national rate of 14.5 deaths per 100,000.

The elevated mental health crisis in mountain resort areas has also been exacerbated by a lack of reliable funding for mental health care. Ender said federal and state resources often don’t “translate to the needs that exist in our resort community because it is a different demographic — it is a different lifestyle.”

The high cost of living makes it difficult for these areas to hire and retain mental health professionals. And with smaller populations, program enrollments often ebb and flow, making it difficult to sustain services such as intensive patient care.

“That’s where we just don’t have the resources in Summit County, and that means that families have to go outside Summit County,” to receive certain care, Ender said.

Yet there has also been progress made in recent years to close these gaps, some of which “The Paradise Paradox” highlights. One of those was a massive financial investment into mental health services by Vail Health, a nonprofit operating in Eagle and Summit counties that in 2018 committed $60 million over the next 10 years to expand behavioral health services.

While much of Vail Health’s focus has been on efforts in Eagle, such as building a 50,000-square-foot behavioral health facility set to open in 2025, it’s also made moves in Summit.

Most recent was an announcement from its subsidiary, Eagle Valley Behavioral Health, that it would be adding mental and behavioral health services in Summit after the county government designated it as the county’s community mental health center earlier this year.

It represents the kind of regional approach that is critical for delivering much-needed services for rural resort areas, Ender said. Those efforts are being bolstered by more local initiatives as well.

While mental health services have expanded, work remains

Summit County Commissioner Tamara Pogue, a former nonprofit leader, said she’s seen meaningful improvement in the county’s mental health infrastructure in the years since she first began working in the field.

A past executive director for the Family & Intercultural Resource Center and chief executive officer for Peak Health Alliance, Pogue helped oversee the incubation of Building Hope in 2017 and 2018. That initiative corresponded with the campaign for and ultimate passage of the Strong Future Fund, which raised property taxes to pay for a slew of local programs, including mental health.

Generating millions of dollars each year, the fund has helped support a slew of initiatives, from subsidizing therapy sessions to a co-responder program that pairs mental health clinicians with local law enforcement.

Pogue said it represents an opportunity “to try things that are a little ahead of the curve than maybe where the federal and state government are,” citing the co-responder program as an example.

Strong Future funding has helped accelerate the number of people served by mental health organizations including Building Hope, which offers subsidies for therapy sessions, known as a scholarship. In 2018, the nonprofit issued 206 scholarships. In 2023, it issued 817.

Pogue said it is indicative of both a more robust mental health system and increased need in Summit County.

“We certainly have netted access to more services, we certainly have more robust systems for services,” Pogue said. “(But) the system does not have the capacity to meet everyone’s needs.”

In this most recent budgeting cycle, funding requests from mental health organizations far exceeded what the county government approved in Strong Future spending as part of its 2024 budget. In total, more than $5 million was requested for behavioral health programs, double what was allocated with Strong Future money. The fund is divided between a litany of other programs outside of behavioral health, including wildfire preparedness, child care, recycling and infrastructure.

“Our system has come a long way, and as we continue to look for ways to provide opportunity for people who need it, we don’t have enough money, and there is a tension there,” Pogue said.

While the nonprofit Peak Health Alliance rolled out new healthcare plans for low-income residents in nine Colorado counties, including Summit, affording health insurance through other providers remains a challenge for many.

“Health insurance carriers are the primary payers of healthcare in this county. And we need to see them do a better job,” Pogue added.

With more discussion comes less stigma

Beyond funding, accessing resources can be stifled by a continued stigma around mental health issues. It’s part of why organizations like Arapahoe Basin Ski Area are sponsoring “The Paradise Paradox” screening event.

“We have some core values about how we operate our business, and we really want to help our employees when we can and help our community when we can,” said Chief Operating Officer Alan Henceroth. “I think this film’s a really good opportunity to see what a lot of people are dealing with.”

Henceroth said he wants to see the film drive discussion around mental health and further destigmatize the issue, which he said is more prevalent in the High Country than it may appear. Having seen the film during a pre-screening, Henceroth said it “hit home.”

“The takeaway for me was just how real the challenges were that the people were having,” he said. “We really want people to talk about this issue and not hide it under the rug.”

For Ender, the Building Hope executive director, the film presents another side of paradise.

“A lot of times we focus just on what there is to love about our community, and there’s a lot,” she said. “But there’s also a lot of hardship, and it’s okay to recognize that.”

“The Paradise Paradox” is produced by Olympic ski racer Bode Miller and Emmy Award-winning impact sports filmmaker Brett Rapkin. Doors open at 6 p.m. at the Silverthorne Pavilion on Jan. 20. The screening begins at 7 p.m. It will also include a panel discussion with community leaders and mental health professionals. The event is free to the public.

Published on SummitDaily.com.