Highlands Behavioral Health System

We have revamped our website and now have an educational blog! Check out the homepage to start reading about behavioral health interventions, levels of care, modalities, and more in behavioral healthcare: https://spklr.io/6043fPUt. We'll be posting periodically with our latest publications, from conditions treated in cognitive behavioral therapy to how Intensive Outpatient Programs and Partial Hospitalization Programs work and what to expect with inpatient acute stabilization.

Our team volunteered at Backpack Society, an organization that collects funds and food donations to share with students struggling with food insecurity. They prepare easy-to-prepare weekend meals and weekly family groceries, so students can focus on learning and positive distractions, rather than worrying about when they will eat next. By ensuring food security on weekends, Backpack Society equips students in Douglas County, Littleton and Englewood with full bellies, clear minds and the readiness to learn and succeed. We highly recommend volunteering! Check out https://spklr.io/60424SEO to learn how to get involved.

Sports Day was the final themed spirit day for Employee Appreciation Week last week! We had Cardinals, Packers and Avs representing! #EmployeeAppreciation

"Dress Like Your Boss Day" was day two of last week's Employee Appreciation Spirit Week! These team members (aka "The Ashleys") looked fabulous impersonating their boss. A fashion trailblazer, no doubt! Thanks to those who graced us with their boss-like outfits and to our Milieu Manager, Ashley, herself for the inspiration. Tomorrow we'll share the final spirit theme, and it's very appropriate for a weekend. #EmployeeAppreciation

Last week was Employee Appreciation Week, and we started strong with Onesie Day! Tomorrow we'll spotlight a less cozy but equally fun spirit week theme, but for now, enjoy our staff impersonating adorable stuffed animals! #EmployeeAppreciation

Our Outpatient and Business Development teams represented Highlands at the inaugural Aurora Public Schools Behavioral Health Resource Fair! We were honored to connect with several hundred professionals from across the Aurora Public School System. We hope to be on the roster for next year's event!

Shae L. is our #EmployeeSpotlight for the end of 2024! Shae was one of the year's best additions to the nursing team. Not only does she ensure our hospital's compliance with infection control, but she is also on the floor daily to support the team. We are so proud to have you, Shae, and look forward to your continued success in the coming years!

At Highlands, we have a rotating art display outside our dining hall featuring inspiration and intention for our patients and staff. Right now, we have a vibrant board focused on the importance of mindset—"Fixed" (gray) vs. "Growth" (colorful). Reframing our mindsets from "Fixed" to "Growth" can bring us from "I'm not good enough" and "It's too hard" to "Mistakes help me learn" and "This may take some time and effort." Sometimes we need more help than inspiration, and we are here for that. If you or a loved one are struggling, give us a call for a no-cost level of care assessment at 720-348-2805.

The 50th Annual Psychological Association's Winter Symposium was a smash hit! We connected with community partners old and new. In between, we smashed some arrows on the Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) pad we had set up to blow off some energy and get our legs moving. We also smashed through our stash of Highlands Hippos, as Symposium attendees were "hungry-hungry" for them! Shout out to eight-year-old, Breck, for the DDR highest score! We're so grateful to have been sponsors of this fantastic event yet again. Until next year!

Holiday recap, with an outpatient focus! Highlands welcomed the community to our Branches Outpatient Open House in December, and we captured some fun footage of our outpatient leadership amidst the jingle bells! At Highlands Behavioral Health, we rebranded our outpatient programming as Branches to highlight our outpatient service lines distinctly from our inpatient programming. We offer Intensive Outpatient Programming (IOP) for adults and adolescents three times per week, three hours per day. Our Partial Hospitalization Programming (PHP) for adults and adolescents is five times per week, five hours per day. All programs can be hybrid — in-person and virtual! Give us a call at 720-348-2816 or schedule your no-cost level-of-care assessment at https://spklr.io/6046FPSQ.