Boulder Strong Resource Center: Supporting Mental Health and Well-Being for a Community Trauma Response - The Boulder Strong Resource Center (BSRC) project aims to facilitate an open connection to supportive services in the aftermath of community trauma, supported by a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity lens. The project will build on a strong foundation created in the 15 months since the mass shooting incident at the local Table Mesa King Soopers grocery store. The project targets individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds who are impacted by any community-wide traumatic event, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, record-breaking wildfires, the Table Mesa King Soopers shooting in March 2021, and any other instance of community violence. Target subpopulations include those from systematically marginalized populations, such as low-income, housing insecure, LGBTQ+, Hispanic/Latino, BIPOC, and limited English or monolingual Spanish speakers, as well as our community's first responders.
The BSRC aims to address our communities' undeniable need for more accessible, innovative behavioral healthcare in one cohesive response, targeting victims of trauma and their families, law enforcement and other first responders, and community members, to provide an innovative and welcoming place to access individual and group supports in the aftermath of traumatic events. Project goals include: (1) Provide trauma-informed healing services to anyone struggling in the aftermath of community traumatic events, such as the Table Mesa King Soopers mass shooting of 2021, wildfires/wildland-urban fires, or violence; and (2) Build community resilience by facilitating strong partnerships across systems, such as law enforcement, district attorney's office, victim advocates, local businesses, and other community service providers. Services will include individual and group counseling, activity and wellness groups, referral and navigation supports, holistic services (e.g., AcuDetox, trauma-informed yoga, massage), trauma-informed support dogs, and community events and trainings. The project aims to serve a total of 525 unduplicated individuals with direct clinical services, as well as 1,000 individuals at community events and trainings. We are confident that the Boulder Strong Resource Center will provide an agile, trauma-informed response to our community's needs as we work together to heal and build resilience.