Sometimes change begins with a cup of coffee. In April 2023, the Suicide Prevention Collaborative of El Paso County (The Collaborative), an initiative facilitated and supported by Community Health Partnership (CHP), identified the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey (HKCS) as a priority in its work.

Finding a mental health care provider can be a challenge for anyone, especially since the pandemic. For Lisa, finding a local LGBTQ+-affirming provider who worked with teens was like looking a needle in a haystack. It was not something she was not willing to compromise on, however.

When it comes to fixing broken systems, ChangeLine (formerly Community Health Partnership) believes there are few skills more fundamental than advocacy. Used effectively, advocacy gives individuals and coalitions the power to address policy, resource flows, practices, relationships, power dynamics, and mental models – all of which are necessary for addressing complex problems.

When you think of mental health care and suicide prevention, what comes to mind? Therapists? Medication? Crisis hotlines? Most likely, connection wasn’t on the list.

Studies show that strong, meaningful connections are powerful protective factors in preventing suicide and bolstering mental health. This holds true everywhere, but it’s especially important in smaller, rural areas like Teller County, Colorado, where people are often physically isolated.

When many of us think about systems change, it can feel daunting. Complex and inherently flawed, systems don’t change overnight. It requires time, energy, and resources, all things that each of us have a limited supply of. Besides, why even bother when we will probably never see the results of our actions? 

But what if there was another way? What if we changed our mindset about what systems change is? What if the work could be more organic and authentic? What if it could feel less like drudgery and more like…fun?