Two organizations are providing crisis cards to businesses and libraries in Boulder County as the anniversary of the Marshall fire approaches.
The Mental Health Partners and Jewish Family Services nonprofits distributed the cards to businesses in Louisville and Superior, and library service desks in Louisville, Lafayette, Broomfield and Boulder.
The crisis cards offer community members information about the variety of ways in which they can receive immediate mental health support at any hour of the day, said Kristina Hernández Schostak, public information officer for Mental Health Partners.
“If you need to talk to someone right now, you have that literally in your back pocket,” she said.
People can also carry the cards with them, and give them out to friends and family who may need help, Hernández Schostak said.
“You have something you can hand to them, that feels tactile, [that says] ‘I care about you, others care about you, and this is a way that you can reach out and get some help now’.”
The Marshall fire swept through Superior, Louisville and unincorporated Boulder County, burning more than 1,000 homes. The one-year anniversary of the fire is Dec. 30, and that can affect residents who lost their homes and communities, Hernández Schostak said.
“Any time you’re coming up on an anniversary — you could be going down the same street you were driving on when you heard your area was being evacuated; it could be the same day of the week that you found out you lost your home — whenever there’s one of these moments that brings those back, physiologically you’re going through some of that trauma again,” she said.
The crisis cards, which are also available in Spanish, offer a range of mental health services:
- Statewide crisis line: 1-844-493 or text TALK to 38255
- 24/7 Walk-in Center: 3180 Airport Road, Boulder
- Mental Health Partners Access Line: 303-443-8500; mhpcolorado.org
- Withdrawal management: 303-441-1281 (24/7)
- Sexual assault hotline: 303-443-7300 (Hablamos Español)
“People are coming up on an anniversary where they lost pets, lost their lives’ accumulation of assets — it’s much more than losing just a structure — whole communities were wiped out,” Hernández Schostak said.
Mental Health Partners and Jewish Family Service have also set up tables at the Superior Community Center, Louisville Recreation & Senior Center and Louisville Public Library. Counselors will be available at the tables through Nov. 29, according to a Boulder County news release.
