How to Use Colorado Crisis Services If You or Someone You Know Needs Immediate Mental Health Help
A step-by-step guide for anyone who needs mental health crisis support in Denver — and for the people trying to help them
A step-by-step guide for anyone who needs mental health crisis support in Denver — and for the people trying to help them
If you’re reading this because someone you care about is in crisis right now, jump to the quick-reference section at the bottom. It has the numbers and addresses you need immediately. If you have a few minutes, keep reading. What you learn here may change how you respond to the next crisis — or help you avoid a several-hour emergency room wait for a situation that doesn’t require one.
Colorado Crisis Services operates a network of walk-in crisis centers. They fill the gap between a phone call and a hospital emergency room — a gap that, frankly, swallows a lot of people whole. Denver’s primary walk-in location is at 4353 E. Colfax Ave., near the intersection of Colfax and Clermont, in the East Colfax neighborhood adjacent to Mayfair. Licensed crisis counselors staff it around the clock, every day of the year. Not a nurse triage line. Not a callback queue. You walk in. Someone sees you.
This guide explains how the system works, what it costs, and what you’ll actually experience when you arrive.
Before You Go: Decide If a Walk-In Center Is the Right Move
Not every mental health emergency calls for the same response. Spend sixty seconds on the right triage decision before you drive to Colfax or put someone in a car.
Head to the walk-in crisis center if you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis — suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety or panic, a psychiatric episode, an emotional breakdown — but is not in immediate physical danger and doesn’t have an acute medical injury requiring emergency treatment. It’s built for this exact moment. It’s faster than a Denver Health or UCHealth Anschutz emergency room for behavioral health presentations by design, and the staff there are crisis specialists, not ER nurses managing a trauma bay simultaneously.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is the right call if you need immediate support but aren’t ready or able to leave home. Call if you want guidance on what to do before you go anywhere. It’s also appropriate if you’re helping someone who refuses to go anywhere and you need real-time coaching on what happens next.
Call 911 if there’s an open wound, an overdose requiring medical reversal like naloxone or emergency airway management, loss of consciousness, or an immediate threat of violence with a weapon present. The crisis center is not the right first stop in those situations. You need paramedics.
An emergency room becomes necessary when the crisis involves a medical complication that requires hospital equipment or monitoring — an overdose that has already happened, a self-injury that needs stitches or wound care, a physical condition that has destabilized alongside the psychiatric one. Denver’s emergency rooms are not optimized for behavioral health crises. Wait times for behavioral health evaluations at Denver Health and other metro ERs regularly run several hours. The environment itself — bright, loud, chaotic — can destabilize someone who’s already in crisis. I’ve heard from clinicians who describe the ER as exactly the wrong setting for a panic attack. They’re not wrong.
The walk-in crisis center exists because calling a hotline is sometimes not enough and an ER is sometimes too much.
Where to Go in Denver and the Surrounding Metro
Colorado Crisis Services — East Denver Walk-In Center 4353 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80220 Cross streets: Colfax and Clermont Street, in the East Colfax corridor just west of the Mayfair neighborhood Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (confirm by calling 844-493-8255 before traveling)
Getting there without a car: RTD Route 15 and the limited-stop 15L both run along Colfax Avenue and stop near this address. The 15/15L is one of Denver’s most frequent bus routes during peak hours, with service continuing through overnight hours at reduced frequency. If you’re in crisis at 2 a.m. and relying on transit, check the RTD Trip Planner for current overnight schedules before you leave. Rideshare is also an option — this is a commercial street with a standard address, not a facility buried in an industrial park.
Colorado Crisis Services operates additional walk-in centers in the metro area serving residents of Arapahoe, Jefferson, Adams, and other surrounding counties. Hours and exact addresses vary. Some locations operate on extended hours rather than full twenty-four-hour schedules. Confirm directly before traveling. Don’t assume the hours or address you find on a secondary website are current — that’s a detail worth thirty seconds on the phone.
The fastest way to confirm the nearest open location right now: call 844-493-8255 or dial 988 and tell the counselor where you are. They can direct you in real time. The CCS online locator at coloradocrisisservices.org maintains an up-to-date list of walk-in locations across the state, with filters by county. Use it as a starting point, then call to verify before traveling.
What to Bring — and What You Don’t Need
This section is for the person who left home without a wallet. For whoever doesn’t have a government ID. For anyone wondering whether immigration status will be an issue. For someone helping a person in no condition to gather documents.
You don’t need an ID to be seen. You don’t need an insurance card. You don’t need a referral from a doctor or therapist. You don’t need any documentation at all. Staff will ask for your name and the reason you’re coming in. Asking is not the same as requiring. If you give a first name and explain why you’re there, you will be seen.
Barrier-free access matters for specific populations, and it’s worth being direct about this. Unhoused individuals may not carry identification or have a fixed address. Undocumented residents may fear that presenting at a government-connected facility creates a legal record. Colorado Crisis Services is a behavioral health services provider, not an immigration enforcement agency. There is no reporting mechanism that connects a crisis visit to immigration status. And anyone who left home in the middle of a crisis simply may not have their belongings with them. That’s fine.
If you do have a Medicaid card, a CHP+ card, or a commercial insurance card, bring it. It speeds up the billing process. Its absence will not prevent you from being seen, assessed, and stabilized.
What Actually Happens From the Moment You Walk In
Here’s the visit in plain sequence, because the unknown is one of the main reasons people don’t go. Fear of what happens inside a place like this keeps people in crisis longer than they need to be.
Staff will greet you at the front. The first thing that happens is a brief safety screening. They’ll ask about immediate risk factors. This establishes whether there’s a danger to you or others that requires an immediate response. This is not an interrogation. It’s a quick, standardized process designed to make sure nobody waits in a lobby when they need immediate intervention.
You’ll provide basic information: your name, reason for coming in, any relevant history you’re willing to share. This doesn’t have to be comprehensive. You don’t need to reconstruct your entire mental health history from memory. Tell them why you’re there today.
A licensed crisis counselor follows. This is a mental health professional, not a medical triage nurse or an intake coordinator. The counselor’s job is to understand what’s happening with you right now. They assess your level of risk and need. They work with you on what comes next. This is a conversation, not a checklist being read at you.
Based on the assessment, the counselor will discuss possible paths forward. For many walk-in visitors, a session with the counselor, a completed safety plan, and a referral to follow-up services is the right outcome. You came in, you were heard, you leave with a plan. If you need more than a single session but don’t require hospitalization, the walk-in center includes access to a short-term crisis stabilization unit. You can stay for up to five days. This is a voluntary, residential-style setting — not a hospital ward. It provides structured support, medication evaluation if needed, and time to stabilize before moving to outpatient care. If your condition requires inpatient hospitalization or emergency medical treatment beyond the crisis center’s scope, staff will facilitate a referral. This is not a failure of the system. It is the system working correctly to connect you to the right level of care.
The standard for discharge is a warm referral. Staff connect you to the next service while you’re still there, or schedule your next appointment before you leave. You should leave with a safety plan and a clear next step — not a stack of pamphlets and an instruction to figure out the rest yourself. Whether that standard is consistently met depends on capacity on any given day, but it’s the stated model and, from what’s publicly documented, the genuine goal.
On the M-1 involuntary hold question: Many people avoid seeking crisis help because they fear that walking into a facility will result in being involuntarily committed. This fear is real, it’s understandable, and it keeps people from getting help they need — so it deserves a direct answer. Walking into Colorado Crisis Services voluntarily does not automatically trigger an M-1 hold. An involuntary hold in Colorado requires a specific legal determination: that a person is in imminent danger to themselves or others and is unwilling to seek voluntary treatment. It is a legal process, not an administrative one. The vast majority of walk-in visits do not result in a hold. If you’re walking in on your own, seeking help, and willing to engage with staff, the scenario most people fear is unlikely.
The walk-in crisis center moves faster than a hospital emergency room for behavioral health presentations. Denver’s ERs regularly see behavioral health patients wait several hours before a psychiatric evaluation. The crisis center model is built around faster access. Wait times vary based on the time of day and the number of people presenting simultaneously. Call ahead to 844-493-8255 and ask about current conditions before you travel.
What the Visit Actually Costs
“It’s free” is the answer you’ll see on most pages. Here’s what that actually means by insurance status, because discovering a bill in your mailbox six weeks later is its own kind of crisis.
The crisis visit itself — the assessment, the safety planning session, access to the crisis stabilization unit — costs nothing for uninsured patients. No copay is collected at the door. The system is state-funded through the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health, specifically designed to provide free access for people who’d otherwise fall through the gap between no insurance and an ER bill. This isn’t a charity program with means-testing at the door. You don’t have to prove you’re uninsured.
For Medicaid and CHP+ enrollees, the center bills your plan directly. Your out-of-pocket cost is nothing. Colorado’s Medicaid program, called Health First Colorado, covers crisis services.
If you have commercial insurance, the answer gets more complicated — and I’ll be honest, this is where you need to do some legwork. The center may bill your insurance company. Your out-of-pocket cost depends on your plan’s deductible, your out-of-network status for this facility, and how your insurer codes the claim. If you carry a high-deductible health plan and haven’t met your deductible for the year, call your insurer’s member services line after your visit. Find out whether a claim was filed and what your responsibility is.
Any follow-up outpatient services you’re referred to after discharge are a completely separate financial question. If you’re referred to weekly therapy through WellPower or another community mental health center, that has its own cost structure and depends on your insurance and the provider’s sliding-scale policies. Ask about that separately when you’re connected to follow-up care.
If You’re Helping Someone Else
If you’re the friend, family member, partner, teacher, or coworker reading this because someone you know is in crisis — this section is for you.
Yes, you can bring someone in. You don’t need to be a legal guardian, a family member, or hold any formal relationship to accompany someone to the walk-in center. If the person is willing to go, take them.
Call 844-493-8255 or 988 before you go. Describe what’s happening. Ask what to expect. Get real-time guidance from a counselor on whether the walk-in center is the right destination or whether something else should happen first.
If the person refuses to go, don’t attempt to force someone into a car. Call 988 or 844-493-8255 and explain the situation. A counselor can help you think through your options, including whether the level of risk warrants involving emergency services. This is not a decision to make alone at midnight. The phone line exists precisely for this moment.
Denver’s STAR program offers another option worth knowing about. If you call 911 for a mental health crisis in Denver and the situation doesn’t involve weapons or immediate physical danger, ask the dispatcher whether a STAR unit is available. STAR stands for Support Team Assisted Response. It dispatches civilian mental health responders — not police — to certain mental health calls within Denver. STAR responders can connect people to Colorado Crisis Services and handle non-violent mental health situations without law enforcement involvement. STAR operates during limited hours and in specific zones, so the 911 dispatcher can tell you whether it’s an option in real time.
For parents and school staff: Colorado law provides latitude for minors seeking mental health care, including crisis services, without full parental consent in certain circumstances. Colorado Revised Statutes § 27-65 addresses emergency mental health procedures for minors. The specifics of whether a teenager can walk into a crisis center without a parent’s involvement should be confirmed directly with WellPower or CCS staff at 844-493-8255, since the application depends on the specific circumstances and age. If a teenager is in crisis and a parent is unavailable or unwilling to act, call the line and describe the situation. Don’t assume the system is closed to you.
Colorado Crisis Services is required to provide language interpretation services. The specific languages available at the East Denver location should be confirmed with WellPower directly. Interpreter access, including for Spanish — which is widely used in Denver’s crisis services system — is available. If language is a concern, mention it when you call ahead.
After the Crisis Visit — What Follow-Up Actually Looks Like
Leaving a crisis center is not the end of the process. It’s a handoff point. The discharge standard at Colorado Crisis Services includes a safety plan, a warm referral to follow-up services, and ideally a scheduled appointment before you leave. WellPower, which manages Colorado Crisis Services in the Denver area, offers ongoing outpatient services and can serve as the follow-up provider directly. If you were already connected to a therapist or psychiatrist, staff will attempt to loop that provider in.
Here’s where I want to be straight with you: Denver’s outpatient mental health system has the same strain that most urban behavioral health systems do, and it’s a topic we track closely in our health & wellness coverage. Waitlists for ongoing therapy exist. Access to a psychiatrist for medication management takes time. The crisis visit addresses the acute moment. The longer work of recovery and stability happens in outpatient care, and that system has real capacity constraints. This isn’t a reason not to go — it’s a reason to be an active advocate for yourself on the way out the door.
Before you leave the crisis center, ask specifically: “What is my next appointment, and who is it with?” If there’s no scheduled appointment, ask what the referral process looks like and who you should call if you need help before that appointment happens. Keep the 844-493-8255 number. If you’re struggling in the days after your visit and the outpatient system hasn’t connected yet, the crisis line is available and appropriate to call again. WellPower’s ongoing services can be accessed by contacting WellPower directly — the crisis visit doesn’t automatically enroll you in ongoing services, so you may need to initiate that separately.
The system has gaps. The crisis center visit can be genuinely good. The transition to long-term care is where people sometimes fall through. Going in with that awareness lets you advocate for yourself more effectively when you’re discharged — and that advocacy, frustratingly, matters.
Key Numbers and Addresses — Quick Reference
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988 — Call or text, 24/7. Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Talk to a counselor, get guidance on next steps, get help for someone else.
844-493-8255 — Colorado Crisis Services direct line, 24/7. Call before going in, call for real-time guidance, call from the road if you’re unsure.
Primary Denver walk-in location: Colorado Crisis Services — East Denver 4353 E. Colfax Ave., Denver, CO 80220 (Near Colfax and Clermont, East Colfax neighborhood) Hours: 24/7/365 (call to confirm before traveling)
RTD transit: Route 15 and 15L along Colfax Avenue. Check RTD Trip Planner for overnight schedules.
Metro-area additional locations (Arapahoe, Jefferson, Adams counties): Confirm addresses and hours via 844-493-8255 or the CCS locator at coloradocrisisservices.org
Denver’s STAR program: Access through 911. Ask the dispatcher if a STAR unit is available for non-violent mental health situations.
WellPower ongoing services: Contact WellPower directly for intake information.
Editor’s note: Hours, addresses, and procedural details for Colorado Crisis Services were drawn from publicly available Colorado Office of Behavioral Health and WellPower communications at the time of publication. The 4353 E. Colfax address and 24/7 operational status of the primary Denver walk-in center are consistent with current CCS documentation, but readers should confirm hours and metro-fringe location details by calling 844-493-8255 or 988 before traveling, particularly overnight. Cost and billing information reflects the state-funded structure of the Colorado Office of Behavioral Health crisis system as publicly documented; commercially insured patients should verify coverage with their individual insurer. This article will be updated as details are confirmed with WellPower communications staff.
