Published: Nov. 1, 2018

Professional woman talks on phoneThe University of Colorado is offering all employees a new option for quick access to mental health services:听 at 833-533-CHAT (2428).

Life is full of stressful events. Pivotal moments like buying a home, having a child or going through a divorce are obvious sources of stress. But day-to-day obligations as seemingly simple as paying the bills can become听overwhelming, too. Beyond the typical struggles we all face, depression, anxiety, addiction and other, more .听

These are all matters of mental wellness.

Often, support and treatment can be hard to find. , 鈥淭he wait to see a psychiatrist in this city [Denver] is about five months long. Colorado has only 15 psychiatrists per 100,000 people, compared with 92 primary-care physicians.鈥

This deficit led Governor Hickenlooper to take action in 2014 when he .

鈥淲hile public officials and hospital systems continue to search for solutions, we believe it鈥檚 important to implement a plan of our own so that support is immediately available to all faculty and staff,鈥 said Felicity O鈥橦erron, chief Human Resources officer and associate vice president of Employee Services.

That鈥檚 why CU Employee Services collaborated with the CU Health Plan Administration, CU Medicine and UCHealth to launch the Real Help Hotline.

The makes it easy to access professional counselors who can provide immediate crisis counseling or offer assistance finding local resources to anyone facing a problem they can鈥檛 seem to solve. The service is free and confidential, available 24 hours a day and open to all employees.

For additional information, or email questions@becolorado.org.