On the backside of Palmer Park, up against the Colorado Springs Country Club, sits the Mark Reyner Stable, home to Nancy Harrison’s nonprofit Colorado Springs Therapeutic Riding Center. It is authentically western here and easy to forget you’re in the city – Nancy, who is about to recognize her 50th year of ownership along with […]
Two former Colorado Springs City Councilors – Richard Skorman and Wayne Williams – are asking the current Colorado Springs City Council to refer recent changes allowing electronic bikes on city trails to voters. “When we put the TOPS [Trails, Open Space and Parks] ordinance together back then, it was very specific that we did not […]
With the holiday season quickly approaching and Thanksgiving around the corner, multiple organizations across Colorado Springs are working to ensure everyone in the community can enjoy a holiday meal, no matter their situation. According to Amy Dunbar, the volunteer coordinator for Crossfire Ministries no-cost grocery bank, volunteer interest has been high for their annual Thanksgiving […]
After years of stakeholder meetings, gathering hundreds of testimonies and input, system review, launching a new state department and auditing the behavioral health system, Colorado has released the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Implementation Plan. Children and youth have unique needs, experience unique challenges and require specific supports and interventions. Mental health and substance-use disorder […]
In 2022, the Manitou Springs Police Department received 760 behavioral-related calls that were all fielded by regular patrol officers. They might have involved erratic behavior by someone experiencing a psychotic break, someone overdosing on drugs, someone out of control after a drinking binge or someone experiencing debilitating depression or suicidal ideation, many of them headed […]
When Olive Van Elmeren entered the Colorado Springs-based Youth Documentary Academy (YDA) program in the summer of 2020, at the recommendation of a Manitou High School teacher, she wasn’t sure what she’d make a film about. The COVID-19 pandemic had moved classes normally held in person to Zoom, making it impossible to collaborate actively with […]
The Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS), Office of Civil and Forensic Mental Health (OCFMH) has invested more than $7.5 million since 2021 to treat and house people dealing with mental health and homelessness. The Fines Committee, which is funded through the fines CDHS pays for non-compliance with a consent decree, has provided funding for […]
I wrote a column for our Sept. 22 edition and stated that our board was tasked to vision and find the funding for the “Safe Community Project.” This initiative focuses on better mental health for us all with hope, trauma-informed care and non-violent communication. We feel strongly that the PPB is uniquely positioned to tell your […]
I wrote a column for our Sept. 22 edition and stated that our board was tasked to vision and find the funding for the “Safe Community Project.” This initiative focuses on better mental health for us all with hope, trauma-informed care and non-violent communication. We feel strongly that the PPB is uniquely positioned to tell […]
Any woman who’s given birth knows the myth of the perfect childbirth experience, passed down from generation to generation. But for many women, giving birth turns out to be something other than the idyllic experience celebrated in birth mythology. Birth professionals estimate that at least 45 percent of reported births result in some degree of […]
