Any Colorado Emergency Department or Inpatient Psychiatric Unit is eligible to utilize this FREE resource. Even if your hospital is currently doing follow up by some other means, we encourage you to explore adding these services to your clinician's toolbelts.
The Hospital Follow-up Program provides free follow-up services to patients who have been discharged from an emergency department or inpatient psychiatric unit in Colorado. The Hospital Follow-Up Project services are telephonic caring contacts offered to clients discharged from an emergency department or inpatient psychiatric unit after experiencing a mental health crisis or overdose event. Hospital Follow-Up Project support is free to hospital sites and clients enrolled in the program. Follow-Up services are telephonic caring contacts offered to clients discharged from an emergency department (ED) after experiencing a suicidal ideation, behavior, and attempt, self-harm, substance use, opioid use, or overdose event, regardless of intent.
OSP contracted with CU’s Division of Community, Population, and Public Mental Health to deliver rapid follow-up services to individuals within 36 business hours, or 3 days.
- Follow-up services are telephonic caring contacts offered to clients discharged from an emergency department or inpatient psychiatric unit after experiencing a mental health crisis or overdose event.
- Individuals are at the highest risk of a suicide death in the 30 days after they discharge from the emergency department or inpatient psychiatric care.
- Follow-up phone calls have been shown to reduce suicide attempts, increase use of supportive resources, and reduce barriers to timely services.
- Free to both hospital sites and clients enrolled into the program; 76 sites across Colorado currently enrolled
- Established youth referral pathway to no-cost suicide specific therapy services provided by Second Wind Fund; ages 0-19 once patient is enrolled in the FUP
