当谈到健康的意义时, we tend to think first and foremost about our physical health. 对我们很多人来说, 我们的健康反映了我们的消费, 我们移动了多少, how we prevent or manage a disease and what happens in the doctor's office.

For me, personally, health is so much more than simply not being sick. It encompasses our whole mind, body and spirit. 作为一个母亲, I really learned what this means when my son — who was only eight-years-old at the time — began experiencing anxiety. He was the first to acknowledge that he couldn't stop overthinking and worrying about things. 他的身体也出现了症状, 比如消化问题和脱发, and suffered a panic attack at a crowded event. While he recognized that something was wrong, I didn't. I couldn't wrap my head around how it was possible for such a young child to have what seemed like such an adult problem. And I could hardly bear to see that his bright, shining spirit was fading.

We were fortunate enough to have access to a behavioral health care provider, who helped my son learn coping strategies – essential tools for dealing with his anxiety. 顾问进一步说, 虽然, and helped me learn how to let my son share his feelings without judging or interrupting him.

在基金会, 在过去的几年里, we have worked to broaden our idea of health — exploring the roles of education, transportation and physical environments in health, as well as investing in clinics that offer integrated care (addressing physical, 行为和口腔健康). We have also expanded our work to apply a health equity lens to all we do, and we continue to broaden the way we think about health.

对我们来说, our picture of health is infinitely tied to how well we are when it comes to our hearts and minds. Our experiences on the ground in Colorado — in addition to the data (according to our 2016 Colorado Health Report Card, 有几个 mental health indicators that haven't improved in the last decade) — have underscored the fact that many Coloradans are experiencing tremendous behavioral health challenges. For example, I heard from communities in every corner of the state 在我们的听力之旅中 that behavioral health must be a top priority. Coloradans have voiced their concerns about the struggles of treating behavioral health issues,  as well as the socioeconomic factors contributing to them. We know there are inequities that drive these issues, along with access and general awareness deficits that need to be remedied.

事实上, as an organization dedicated to improving the health of Coloradans, we have recently committed one of our six 关注领域s to behavioral health. While we are still defining this 关注领域 and how we will engage within it, our hope is that we can help foster long-term and promising solutions that nurture the hearts and minds of all Coloradans throughout their lives.

As we explore how to have the greatest impact in our new 行为健康 关注领域, we have much to learn about how to intentionally fund those working to improve behavioral health and how we can work together to address the whole picture of health in communities throughout Colorado.

Look for new developments on our upcoming work in behavioral health and keep your stories and feedback 发生在我们身上. Perspectives and voices are how we will best shape this bigger story of Colorado’s health. 你的问题.