El Paso County and Colorado Springs officials on Wednesday unveiled a first-of-its-kind, digital self-help platform they said will increase residents’ access to a swath of mental and behavioral health resources.

County Public Health Executive Director Susan Wheelan announced Pikes Peak Rising 360, a 24/7 platform connecting people to a library of resources on hundreds of topics such as anxiety, stress, grief and more.

It’s confidential, anonymous, offered on all digital platforms and accessible to English and Spanish speakers, Wheelan told a crowd of about 50 people at the Hybl Sports Medicine

and Performance Center at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.

Users can take mental health assessments and browse thousands of resources including books, podcasts, articles and others on the new website, all vetted by mental health professionals, she said.

“Three out of four people struggling with their mental health initially are not interested in … therapy or medication. They just want to know what to do,” Wheelan said.

“The ability to access timely health care resources is a key factor in positive outcomes.”

Pikes Peak 360 is one of three mental health initiatives under a new regional mental health program now called Pikes Peak Rising, a collaborative “umbrella” program that boosts awareness of needs in El Paso County and connects people to existing resources.

Abbey Mobolade on Wednesday joined Wheelan and other university and regional officials, including her husband, Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade, to unveil the revamped name. Pikes Peak Rising launched about a year ago and aims to better connect residents across the region to the help they need to improve their mental health.

“People are having a hard time finding resources,” said Abbey Mobolade, a nurse educator and former critical care nurse.

She worked with Wheelan for months to assess the status of mental care across the region, all focused on creating the Pikes Peak Rising program that weaves together more than 40 different existing organizations.

Pikes Peak Rising is partly inspired by Mobolade’s experience navigating the mental health landscape, she said.

Alongside Pikes Peak Rising 360, the GRIT (Greater Resilience Information Toolkit) program developed out of the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS and Colorado Springs’ 1,000 Neighborhood Gatherings project are included in the umbrella program.

Mobolade and Wheelan said Pikes Peak Rising and Pikes Peak Rising 360 are dynamic and fluid. They hope to add more resources to both platforms and expand the initiatives beyond the Pikes Peak region.

The Pikes Peak Rising and Pikes Peak Rising 360 names, logos and colors also are meant to encourage strength and resilience.

They are named after the region, so they are inclusive, Mobolade said. The logos are inspired by a phoenix rising over the mountains to represent each person’s individual mental health journey, and the bright yellow and orange colors symbolize warmth and hope.

Pikes Peak Rising is part of Colorado Springs’ 2024-2028 Strategic Plan, which calls on city leaders to “increase access and awareness, foster collaborative partnerships, and strengthen social support systems to improve well-being in the Pikes Peak Region.”

Visit coloradosprings.gov/ Pikespeakrising and pikespeakrising360. crediblemind.com for more information.