Douglas County programs help people stay housed, address homelessness Hill gives update on health department progress

BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Programs for the Douglas County Health Department have been up and running for over two months and during a March 9 meeting, Executive Director Michael Hill gave an update on the independent health department. “I think the way this county approached the health department by phasing it in over the last year has really been to our bene t,” said Hill.

As sta are developing relationships and creating partnerships with more organizations, the Douglas County Health Department has been working with the

BY ELLIS ARNOLD EARNOLD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

People who end up living on the streets often struggle with mental illness, addiction or other health problems that can stand in the way of getting back on their feet.

In Douglas County, a program that started two years ago has helped dozens of people stay connected with the resources they need, including many people who struggled with housing.

“We’re also hoping to reduce reliance or interaction with our crisis emergency and acute care services as well,” said Leandra Montoya, who works with e Care Compact. at’s the county’s program that works with hospitals, the county jail and organizations in the community to help keep people with complex needs from falling through the cracks.

One of the program’s main goals: to cut down on situations where people use services like law enforcement or transportation to an emergency room to deal with a crisis, an outcome that can be expensive — or, for rst responders, time consuming.

“So when we see folks who are frequently engaged with these systems, it’s a sign to us that they might

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