Letter: Ballot Issue 1A will strengthen our community

Editor:

Please join me in voting yes on Ballot Issue 1A in November. It will strengthen our community by building an affordable mental health/detox facility for Larimer County. Over 1,400 Larimer residents who desperately want treatment for their substance-use disorder are on a waiting list, according to a recently released independent study. Gaps in services for individuals with severe mental health disorders were also reported.

Our friends, neighbors and family members are caught in vicious cycles instead of entering the treatment they need for recovery. Too often they end up in high cost, less effective stop-gap facilities — emergency room, jail, out-of-county facilities — adding little to the health of our community. You and I foot the bill.

These critical needs rose in spite of our county’s current high quality mental health resources, outpaced by rapid population growth and the opiate epidemic.
The good news? That same study presented ideas for bridging gaps between the current Larimer public and private services. Designed to achieve those recommendations, Initiative 1A on your November ballot proposes a new Larimer County 24/7 Mental Health/Detox Services Facility.

With strong bipartisan support, Ballot Issue 1A calls for a 25 cents per $100 county sales tax to build and maintain the state-of-the-art facility for 25 years. Through evidence-based, high-quality treatment options, it will provide the opportunity for recovery to our friends, neighbors and family members in need, contributing to the strength and health of our community. We can make it happen.

Please join me in voting for 1A Mental Health/Detox Services Facility.

Janet K. Seeley
Fort Collins