University of Denver Spring 2025

A fellow student from S ilva E strada’s cohort, Barbra Corcoran (MSW ’ 15) , represents another non - stereotypical role as an integrated behavioral health provider at V alley V iew H ospital. P roviders like Corcoran feel that if they can bring behavioral care into approachable and more affordable healthcare settings as opposed to siloed clinics, they will reach more people with the care they need. “ T he goal is that we just meet people when they’re in a moment of need and take the pressure off of primary care providers,” she says, “ T hen we get to work as a team to support that patient.” DU ’s program con fi rmed what Corcoran had observed as a licensed clinical social worker and addiction counselor : that life circumstances or experiences can have negative or positive outcomes on individuals. S ocial determinants of health can include stressors like transportation, housing, food and safety in one’s home. T hese stressors are intensi fi ed on the W estern S lope, with long distances to services and a housing supply that competes with second home buyers and vacation rentals. ‘Paradise paradox’ T he mountainous regions where students and graduates serve exist in what S ilva E strada calls the “paradise paradox.” “It’s beautiful to live here. It’s known for the outdoors, but statistically, we have a high rate of suicides, a high rate of

mental health crisis and challenges that are exacerbated with the high cost of living,” she notes. T herefore, how issues are addressed in rural areas can be different from their urban counterparts. “ Y ou can’t take an urban intervention or program and just plop it into a rural area. It has to look slightly different, sometimes signi fi cantly different,” says Cristina G air, director of W est M ountain R egional H ealth Alliance, one of the programs crucial to establishing DU ’s presence in the community. T he “paradise paradox” is most obvious in the housing crisis, which hits rural communities hardest due to limited inventory and competition with second - home buyers. T his issue permeates all aspects of life, shaping the future direction of the program’s curriculum and focus. “ T he number of times I’ve heard a client say something like, ‘ I don’t feel accepted by this valley’ because of their housing situation is more than a dozen times in the last two years,” says R ollins. “ T hat feeling of disconnection and disenfranchisement from our communities is driven by the housing crisis, in some respects.” T o address the housing crisis, the W estern Colorado program and its collaborators are working to harness the work done by the G raduate S chool of S ocial W ork’s Center for H ousing and H omelessness R esearch, led by P rofessor D aniel Brisson.