Building a Better Tomorrow: The Aspen Hope Center

At the Aspen Hope Center, their main goal is to provide education and outreach programs to reduce the stigma and raise the awareness associated with mental illness. The Hope Center specializes in five main branches of a given crisis: prevention, response, intervention, stabilization, and recovery. Any person facing a crisis can call the Aspen Hope Center around the clock and they will be directly connected to a qualified professional. Programs range from Suicide Awareness classes to Psychiatric Emergencies, etc. Whether you are an architect or a bus driver, all individuals are welcome here.

Crisis is defined as a noun, meaning: a time when a person’s amount of stress outweighs the ability to cope; whereas hope is defined as someone or something that is able to help and provide belief in a better tomorrow.

Considered to be a private, nonprofit organization, the Aspen Hope Center does not receive any state or federal funding for its services; instead, they depend upon donations and grants to continue their never-ending dedication to help those in need.

An outstanding example of such generosity was a donation by the “M Salon” in Aspen who recently contributed $10,000 to the Hope Center. On Wednesday, March 8th a special event took place in honor of the Aspen Hope Center at the Caribou Club (located at 405 E. Hopkins.) Attending were dozens of loyal supporters who gathered to raise funds and awareness regarding the suffering people endure and eventually overcome, thanks to the valuable assistance provided by the Hope Center. Among those attending was Hope Center’s Founder Sandy Iglehart, whose daughter took her own life in 2009.

Clearly, the Aspen Hope Center is a unique place; while millions are being spent on psychiatric hospitals, the Hope Center believes that hospitalization is not always necessary.

Specialized assistance called the Individual Intensive Outpatient Program was developed to allow patients to stay at home and still receive their necessary treatment with eye-opening results: over 260 men and women have successfully entered this program during the last six years.

Indeed, the Aspen Hope Center is a life-saving sanctuary, utilizing effective new techniques, and is a perfect role model for mental health care throughout Colorado and across the country.

Keep up the good work!