NMHIC in the News

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Aug 13, 2020

Jul 25, 2019

“The National Mental Health Innovation Center (NMHIC) and Oxford VR (OVR) have announced a strategic partnership and the launch of multiple pilots using VR therapy treatment programs to advance mental health outcomes. The collaboration will involve testing of Oxford’s VR’s suite of automated evidence-based treatment programs, which use leading-edge virtual reality (VR) technology to treat mental health conditions such as fear of heights, social anxiety, depression and OCD and psychosis.

Jul 17, 2018

“The Alaska DOC is planning on implementing VR sessions to help offenders cope with the state’s long and dark winters. The DOC has joined with a Colorado-based research organization, National Mental Health Innovation Center, to informally study the pilot program. Matt Vogl, president of the center, says he is optimistic that VR will be beneficial to inmates, citing existing research. “We have to try new things and try them aggressively,” Vogl said. “I don’t think tech will solve all the problems, and there are a lot of unanswered questions, but if we can put one more tool in the tool box, we might as well…” (Full story.)

Jul 9, 2018

“Alaska has one of the highest recidivism rates in the country, with more than two-thirds of inmates who leave prison returning within three years. It’s an ongoing problem the Alaska Dept. of Corrections has long sought to solve. Now, the DOC is partnering with the University of Colorado to try something new — training inmates in the skills they’ll need to succeed in life outside of prison using virtual reality. (Full story / video.)

Jul 2, 2018

Jun 28, 2018

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Apr 19, 2018

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Mar 27, 2018

First responders in Colorado say they need better access to mental health resources. The findings are part of a report from the National Mental Health Innovation Center at University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, in partnership with Responder Strong.

Jan 14, 2018

A person experiencing a manic episode can be irritable or agitated for several days. Their behavior is hyper and excitable. They have feelings of grandiosity and no need for sleep, said Debra Boeldt, a psychologist at CU Anschutz’s National Mental Health Innovation Center. ‘Their mind is just going all over the place and being easily distracted.

Jan 12, 2018

Medical care is no longer confined to the doctor’s office. Or even, sometimes, to an actual doctor. That iPhone in your pocket now has the capability to diagnose your cough, answer insurance questions, and get you pregnant…or at least help the process along. Digital health (think: smartphones, social networks, and internet applications that provide patients with health information and better access to physicians) encompasses everything from Fitbits to electronic medical records to telehealth—and the trend is booming in Colorado.

Dec 19, 2017

Anna Hanel stopped on the Echo Lake trail, sat down on a rock, and told her husband and Ivy, her infant daughter, to just leave her there. “I don’t want to deal with this,” she said, meaning every word. Hanel knew the signs of depression, and on that mountain near Idaho Springs, she recognized that her depression had gotten out of hand. Even so, for Hanel, like many moms, recovering from postpartum depression proved as much of an uphill battle as that 2015 hike.

Oct 11, 2017

When paramedic Daniel Crampton was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, his therapist suggested something untenable: “Maybe you should get out of that line of work.” Crampton had sought counseling after being called to the sites of five emergencies involving children within six months, witnessing a string of tragedies (four deaths and one resuscitation) that earned him the nickname "Pediatric Dan" among his colleagues. Crampton couldn't shake the memories. The therapist’s advice, while well-meaning, was desperately out of touch; for emergency responders like Crampton, their identities and work tangle inextricably, so quitting is a last resort.

Sep 26, 2017

Matt Vogl prepared to torpedo his career in public health. A former standup comic, he had told many stories on stage, but this one — uncharacteristically typed out, with a picture of his two sons attached — was the most painful and personal. Vogl looked down at the photo of his boys, then looked out at the 500 people in the audience at the Denver Art Museum, including colleagues, bosses and benefactors of the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center as well as its umbrella organization, the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. And he started talking about how close he’d come to suicide.

Jul 30, 2017

Dr. Dawn Jewell is among a handful of psychologists testing a new service from a Silicon Valley start-up called Limbix that offers exposure therapy…’It provides exposure in a way that patients feel safe,’ she said