ALAMOSA — The meeting room at Shooting Stars Cultural and Leadership Center in Alamosa was filled to capacity on Thursday afternoon with parents, community activists, non-profits, practitioners, city officials, elected officials, and people with lived experience from across the Valley. The focus was youth mental health, and the forum was exactly what was promised — a conversation with Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser.
The AG opened the dialogue by recalling a memory that he described as his “biggest awakening over the last six years.”
He had come to Alamosa for a meeting organized by Erin Minks, Senator Michael Bennet’s regional representative for the San Luis Valley, to discuss economic development when, as Weiser tells it, “Someone said, ‘we can’t talk about economic development until we talk about behavioral health and the opioid epidemic.’” Behavioral health issues are central to the state and society, he said. He also stated that, for the first time, the state saw a decrease in overdose deaths, clarifying the difference between an opioid overdose and opioid poisoning.
Weiser summarized actions — both current and planned — by his office as they “work on multiple fronts” addressing behavioral health and opioid use. The information seemed to be of great interest to people at the session, as indicated by more than a half dozen people, including community members who did not identify being associated with any specific group, taking notes as he spoke.
The AG’s office is working on awareness campaigns to educate children and adults on the dangers of fentanyl, recognizing that they are two distinctly different campaigns as kids “grow up thinking they’re immortal and can’t take a pill that will kill them.” A complementary program is being developed for college-aged youth.
Social media is also a focus as it is “a big part of making it easy to access fentanyl,” Weiser said. The AG’s office will be “going after” social media platforms who make that access too easy, trying to “change their behavior” which may involve the use of law enforcement.
He also discussed treatment recovery options.
“We know there’s a need for more resources in the San Luis Valley,” he said, praising Lori Laske for her work heading up the Region 18 Colorado Opioid Abatement Committee that is involved in distribution of opioid settlement funds received in another successful lawsuit. Using funds from that settlement, the state has provided financial support for construction of a residential treatment and recovery facility, “which has been needed in the Valley for a very long time.”
The AG identified vaping as a major challenge his office is taking on. In July of 2020, Weiser filed a lawsuit in Denver District Court against Juul, an American company that develops and markets e-cigarettes, alleging the company “targeted youth with deceptive advertising that downplayed its ultra-high addictive nicotine concentration and health risks, and falsely suggested its usage as a healthy alternative to smoking cigarettes, thereby violating the Colorado Consumer Protection Act.”
Weiser was successful in court and landed a $32 million settlement for the state, funding that will be used to support related programs in school districts. He is uncertain what the next round of funding will look like but anticipates it will focus on vaping cessation, prevention and “adjacent mental health efforts” supporting youth so they do not end up “turning to substances.” That $32 million will provide “a few years of funding,” he said.
“If this community is going to be as creative with funding for vaping as you have been with opioids, you’re going to be a leader in the state,” he added.
There are efforts planned to address social media platforms and how they contribute to harming kids’ mental health, including a current investigation into TikTok and Instagram.
Weiser then transitioned to cases where, too often, the criminal justice system is asked to step in with a person when what is really impacting behavior relates to mental health issues.
“If you can’t be in a situation to learn because you’re struggling with your own emotional situation for whatever reasons,” he said, “you’re not going to learn and could actually be viewed as a destructive influence in the classroom.”
The AG’s office wants to “build in that capacity”, including restorative practices so that “young people don’t end up being viewed as criminals when they are actually young people struggling.”
Weiser also praised the City of Alamosa and the Alamosa Police Department for instituting a co-responder program, adding the state would like to support that program in any way they can.
He ended his overview with a strongly worded message of support.
“We are committed to being a partner with the San Luis Valley and an amplifier for your voice,” he said.
When the session opened to more interactive dialogue, Weiser asked as many questions as he answered.
He directed the group’s attention to Jamie and Cristalray Dominguez, highlighting that Jamie had received an award from his office as a “Community Champion”. He then asked questions that led Jamie to describe how and why he and Cristalray created the Shooting Stars Cultural and Leadership Center.
Jamie described years spent investing significant personal time and about $100,000 of personal resources, first in helping individuals and then the creation of Shooting Stars.
“It hasn’t been easy doing this while raising kids and running two businesses,” he said, but they are committed to their community and restoring “things to the old way.” Providing support that is culturally relevant to the people they have committed to help is crucial, he said, as is speaking to youth in a language they understand and meeting them where they are, even if it takes all night.
Jamie and Cristalray also partner with other organizations and entities, such as the Center for Restorative Programs (CRP), meeting needs with youth that CRP cannot meet “due to liability issues”. Another partnership with the Alamosa School District has led to Shooting Stars serving as the permanent location for the ASD Family Center, creating another, more culturally relevant pathway for families to interact with the local schools.
Jamie also shared his lived experience with substance abuse that has added a dimension to his understanding of others and what they experience.
During the dialogue, other people spoke of lived experience, such as Carlos Gonzalez — the Boys and Girls Club Youth of the Year — and a young man named Caleb who offered input on how to effectively reach youth in crisis.
But one of the most overriding elements of the conversation related to the array of other partnerships and collaborations in the Valley, such as the Alamosa Police Department cueing ASD counsellors when a student’s family had an interaction with police during the night or the collaborative efforts of CRP, the Boys and Girls Club, Probation, the Justice System and Department of Human Services providing wraparound services to individuals and families in need or SLV Behavioral Health Group providing funds for three counselors in the school district.
Weiser wrapped up the session by acknowledging the Valley as “an amazing place” and pledging his continued partnership in supporting the work done by those who live here.
