Our Garden is Blooming at PMHI
At the Pediatric Mental Health Institute (PMHI), our garden continues to flourish, thanks to your generosity. Over the past year, we’ve innovated new ideas and approaches to care, always keeping children and families at the heart of what we do.Open to learn more
Children’s Colorado is building a comprehensive, evidence-based behavioral health system that puts kids and families first. From prevention to crisis care, our programs expand access, elevate quality of care and drive innovation across the continuum of our mental health services. This dedication was recognized nationally when U.S. News & World Report named Children’s Colorado one of the Best Children’s Hospitals for Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health in 2025.
Our vision is clear: universal access to high-quality, evidence-based mental health care for every child who needs it. With nearly 900 dedicated “gardeners”—clinicians, administrators, researchers, educators and advocates—fueled by your generosity, we’re cultivating care that is compassionate, effective and lasting.
Your support touches every child who enters our garden, whether they attend a weekly therapy group, receive inpatient care for several weeks, or benefit from our partnerships with schools and primary care practices. Together, we’re meeting mental health needs through prevention, early treatment and community-based care while advancing research, training future leaders and strengthening systems statewide.
This report offers a glimpse into our garden: its growth, its promise and the people whose passion helps it thrive. Your partnership is at the heart of this mission. Thank you for helping our garden bloom.
Pediatric Mental Health Institute: Focus Areas
“This progress is powerful, but it’s not the finish line. We’ve made meaningful strides, and now we must keep going to ensure every child gets the support they need.”
— Ron-Li Liaw, MD
Mental Health in-Chief, The Cannon Y. and Lyndia Harvey Chair in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
A Growing Reach, A Deeper Impact: Children’s Colorado offers mental health services at locations across the state.
11,900
unique patients from across 46 states
7,300
Emergency Department psychiatric visits
8,550
integrated primary care visits
Deepening Collaboration in Rural Communities
In September, Children’s Colorado hosted the first southwest Colorado Pediatric Mental Health Symposium, bringing together more than 100 rural and metro-area professionals to address the urgent mental health needs of youth in the region. Supported by philanthropy, the two-day event fostered collaboration, shared best practices and strengthened connections between Front Range experts and local providers to expand access and improve care for children and families in rural Colorado.
Philanthropy Fuels Expanded Mental Health Access in La Plata County
Meet Parker
Hospital-Based Services
In 2025, we launched a reimagined crisis care pathway, featuring renovated facilities, new protocols and a strengthened commitment to improving outcomes. This transformation has enhanced patient and family experiences while delivering more effective, coordinated care. The new model features all four components of the crisis care continuum (emergency, outpatient, acute and virtual urgent care) and is designed to ensure that patients receive the right care, at the right time, in the right place and for the right length of time.
2025 Key Accomplishments:
- Our Behavioral Health Observation program launched in the spring and provides a safe place for patients in crisis to de-escalate with individual and family therapy during a brief overnight stay.
- In the fall, we launched Mental Health Virtual Urgent Care, giving patients and caregivers same-day access to urgent mental health evaluations.
- Together our newly redesigned Emergency Department (ED), now using a split-flow model that helps ensure every child receives the right care at the right time, and our ambulatory-based Crisis Clinic provide a comprehensive continuum of support for children experiencing acute mental health challenges. This redesigned model, the first of its kind in our region, marks a critical leap forward in providing timely, compassionate and effective care for children in crisis.
Expanding Outpatient Excellence
We expanded outpatient services and set benchmarks for quality, outcomes and innovation. Our stepped-care approach aligns the acuity and needs of our patients with the appropriate level and frequency of services, ensuring the right care at the right time.
2025 Key Accomplishments:
- The Partial Hospitalization Program at the Anschutz Medical Campus enhanced its care model by standardizing 12-day stays, redesigning inpatient classrooms for broader age ranges and improving caregiver accommodations, resulting in a 43% increase in space for patients and stronger patient-family engagement. The team that implemented these efforts earned the prestigious Children’s Colorado 4-Star Award for Patient Family Experience, recognizing top-quartile patient family satisfaction scores.
- The Neuropsychiatric Special Care programs transformed crisis stabilization services for youth with neurodevelopmental disorders. Patients in both the partial hospitalization and inpatient programs receive tailored, evidence-based support that varies in acuity and type of therapy. This approach has increased access to care and referrals to specialists while decreasing wait times.
- Our Outpatient Clinic launched a stepped-care model to more efficiently guide patients to the right specialty program and clinical experts. Mood and anxiety specialty programs continued to refine this approach, with the goal of expanding its application to additional programs in the future.
- The Mood Specialty Team finalized the certification of all team members in Comprehensive Dialectical Behavior Therapy. The program grew dramatically, with services now offered in Colorado Springs, the Anschutz Medical Campus and virtually.
Prevention and Community Partnerships
PMHI fosters community partnerships and advances prevention efforts, with a focus on schools and primary care practices. Our leadership in training perinatal, infant and early childhood mental health professionals is shaping the workforce of tomorrow.
2025 Key Accomplishments:
- We expanded our Care Transitions Team to provide support as kids and families move between levels of care and reintegrate into their communities following treatment. Families receive post-discharge support from family peer support specialists, care coordinators, health navigators and educational consultants. Fueled by philanthropy, this growing program is already showing strong results, helping children return home and reengage in school with confidence and continued support.
- Our team continued efforts to integrate behavioral health services into primary care settings, connecting children and youth with mental health resources at their pediatrician’s office. This involves hiring and preparing licensed clinicians to join local practices, with one in training at the Anschutz Medical Campus and others starting later this year, bringing these vital services closer to the children who need them most. We’ve also provided technical assistance, educational opportunities and suicide screening implementation support to practices statewide.
- The Youth Council on Mental Health, a group of more than 25 youth from across Colorado, advocated for stronger mental health policies, helped improve patient experiences and raised awareness about the importance of mental health.
- Team members continued delivering mental health services in schools across Colorado Springs, Durango, Aurora and the greater Denver metro area. In Colorado Springs, behavioral health clinicians in middle and high schools improved student access to quality mental health services. In Durango, we worked with the local school district, focusing on evaluating and assessing high-acuity students.
Standing with Families Every Step of the Way
Children and youth with mental health needs often face significant challenges navigating care after leaving the hospital. With generous philanthropic support from the Telluray Foundation, our Care Transitions Team is helping families successfully transition from hospital-based treatment to community care—improving outcomes, reducing readmissions and ensuring smoother, more supported coordination between levels of care. Building on a Behavioral Health Administration demonstration project, donor funding is expanding this vital work to reach more patients, strengthen partnerships with primary care providers and schools and extend follow-up support for up to 60 days post-discharge.
Philanthropy is also fueling innovation through a digital mental health resource hub, a patient outcomes registry and a proposed new Family Peer Support Partner role. Together, we are shaping a sustainable, national model for coordinated pediatric mental health care.
Research, Education and Advocacy
Our commitment to research, education and advocacy contributed to our recognition as U.S. News & World Report’s Top 50 Best Children’s Hospitals for Pediatric & Adolescent Behavioral Health, strengthened the behavioral health workforce of tomorrow and advanced protective measures for children across Colorado.
2025 Key Accomplishments:
- Our new Pathway Program for Unlicensed Behavioral Health Clinicians strengthened our workforce and provided opportunities for team members to obtain licensure. The inaugural graduates joined PMHI as faculty members, reflecting a 100% retention rate.
- Our training programs grew significantly to fill the gap in mental health clinicians, supporting 45 psychology trainees, 14 psychiatry fellows and four psychiatric nurse practitioners, with many trainees continuing their career with us.
- 180+ Faculty published and presented works at professional conferences and in scholarly presentations, book chapters and peer-reviewed journals
- We advocated for Colorado legislation that will advance mental health and early childhood care:
- HB 25-1135: Requires K–12 public schools to establish cell phone policies to support student well-being and learning.
- SB 017: Recognizes HealthySteps as a distinct state program within the Department of Early Childhood, bringing child development expertise into pediatric care to advance lifelong well-being from the start.
- HB 1070: Expands access to electroconvulsive treatment for minors.
- HB 25-1132: Funds nonprofits supporting behavioral health for military families, expanding access in Colorado Springs and Aurora.
Suicide Prevention
We made meaningful strides in suicide prevention this year, strengthening protocols across our System of Care. Through the system wide Preventing Suicide Initiative (PSI) and the recruitment of leading experts, we’re building a stronger foundation for lifesaving care. As we roll these efforts out, philanthropy is powering our ability to expand, innovate and reach more lives. We’re proud of the progress, but there’s still much more to do to reduce youth suicide. With continued support, we can transform this momentum into a lasting safety net for every child and family in need.
2025 Key Accomplishments:
- We began to optimize universal depression and suicide screening for youth age 10 and older in ED and inpatient settings across our System of Care. Children’s Colorado is consistently screening more than 90% of youth and providing resources and care to those who are at high risk.
- The system-wide PSI provides a comprehensive approach to safety for patients, families and team members. By improving suicide screening, conducting risk assessments and developing safety plans, the initiative aims to reduce suicide deaths and attempts while ensuring proactive care for at-risk individuals.
- Thanks in part to philanthropic support, we welcomed Lisa Horowitz, PhD, as Director of Suicide Prevention, and Sarah Brummett, MA, JD, as Clinical Program Manager of our PSI. Their nationally recognized expertise reflects our deep commitment to suicide prevention implementation and accelerates our work toward system-wide transformation.
- PMHI extended suicide prevention efforts to community-based pediatric and primary care practices, equipping physicians across Colorado with tools to implement a suicide screening clinical pathway in This is an early step in building a unified, systemic
approach to identify and support children at risk.
A Family’s Vision Expands Care for Children with Anxiety
The Vollbracht family’s enduring commitment to pediatric mental health has transformed care for children with anxiety. Their early investment established the Vollbracht Family Chair in Stress and Anxiety Disorders in 2012, held by Ben Mullin, PhD, and in 2024 they deepened their impact by creating the Vollbracht Family Endowed Fund for Anxiety Specialty Care in Memory of William Vollbracht, from his wife Leslie and two daughters Dana Vollbracht and Alison Vollbracht Winfield. Thanks to their visionary philanthropy, the program now delivers intensive outpatient care, therapy groups and summer day camps. Together, these efforts are expanding access, advancing early intervention and helping more children and families build resilience and thrive.
“We wanted to help create something lasting care that reaches kids early, supports families and gives them hope for the future. Watching this program grow and change lives has been incredibly meaningful.”
Leslie Vollbracht, Donor
Growing Through Generosity
More than $75M has been donated to support pediatric mental health since November 2021.
Philanthropy fuels our ability to innovate, grow and respond to the urgent needs of children and families. Donor support makes it possible to pioneer new models of care and advance the evidence base through research. It also allows us to train the next generation of mental health professionals and recruit top talent to serve our community while advocating for systemic improvements.
Transforming Mental Health
Challenge Gift
In September 2025, the Anschutz Medical Campus announced that The Anschutz Foundation committed up to $50 million as a challenge donation to the University of Colorado Anschutz, with $25 million directed to Children’s Colorado to support the mental health of children in our region. The challenge seeks to generate an additional $150 million from public and private partners, including donors like you.Open to learn more
This will strengthen collaborative mental health efforts across the campus and improve care from childhood through geriatrics. All gifts supporting pediatric mental health help unlock these challenge funds, including support for psycho-social care in specialty areas, such as the Heart Institute, Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders and Children’s Center for Surgery.
“Children’s Colorado has focused on improving pediatric mental health for more than a decade. Since declaring a State of Emergency for youth mental health in 2021, we have highlighted the urgency of advancing care models and expanding access for kids in crisis,” said Jena Hausmann, president and CEO of Children’s Colorado. “Every child deserves a hopeful future, and together, this partnership helps us build it.”
Riding with Purpose
With 71 riders and $189,455 raised in 2025, the Psyched to Climb team continues to turn passion into progress and fuel life-saving care and innovation through its support of the Courage Classic Bicycle Tour. To date, the Courage Classic team has raised $960,282, proof that when we ride with purpose, we can change lives and shape the future of pediatric mental health.
Faster, Safer Mental Health Care for Kids and Families
Recently, the 2221 Society raised $700,000 to transform our North Campus ED’s mental health intake process. This investment is making the creation of an integrated split-flow model at this location possible, ensuring patients receive an immediate mental health acuity assessment. These improvements are designed to shorten average stays in the ED from 18 hours to as few as one to two hours, reduce return visits and provide safer, more effective care for thousands of kids each year.
Family Doubles Impact for Colorado’s Kids
Public urgency around youth mental health has never been higher, with 70% of Colorado voters recognizing the crisis in our state and two-thirds calling for bolder action. Yet policy change lags behind public concern. Thanks to a significant investment from the Hayes family, Children’s Colorado is launching an 18-month, statewide campaign to educate the public and make youth mental health a top-tier policy priority for legislators. This effort will unite leaders, mobilize voters and align stakeholders to shape lasting policy and funding solutions. Their $500,000 challenge match will double every dollar contributed toward this advocacy vision, accelerating the momentum needed to transform mental health care for Colorado’s kids.
Our Collective Strength
While our mental health work is sustained by a mix of funding from partners, state and federal sources, patient revenue and grants, it is the generosity of donors that drives our boldest ideas forward. We are deeply grateful for your partnership in transforming youth mental health across Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.