Vail Health’s crisis care center offers crucial support for mental health challenges in the high country

Mountain communities often struggle with limited resources compared to larger cities, and one key area where this is evident is in mental health care. The Precourt Healing Center at Vail Health aims to address this critical need as it works on providing a full range of mental health support services. The facility, currently under construction, will feature a 28-bed inpatient facility to quickly assist individuals experiencing mental health crises. This is a significant improvement over the current situation, where residents in mountain communities must often travel to larger cities for inpatient care and may face long wait times for available beds.

Vail Health has emphasized that the Precourt Healing Center is not just about its central location, but also about prioritizing patient care and comfort. Craig Cohn, the chief of real estate development officer, noted that everything in the facility is designed with patient care in mind, including amenities like gyms on each floor for both adolescent and adult patients, as well as supervised outdoor areas for fresh air. The construction of the center is expected to be completed in six months, with staff already hired and prepared to receive patients by next spring. This marks the beginning of a larger mental health campus project that will eventually offer both inpatient and outpatient care to the Eagle County community.

Kim Goodrich, the program improvement director for Vail Health’s Behavioral Health Service, highlighted the significant impact that this new facility will have for residents in the region. Currently, individuals needing inpatient mental health care often have to travel long distances and wait in emergency rooms for available beds. With the completion of the Precourt Healing Center, those in mountain communities will have improved access to critical mental health services.