The Larimer Integrated Network of Care, or LINK, project has potential to fundamentally change the way professionals across multiple systems collaborate to support those in crisis

There are generally two types of people in the world: Those who fall asleep at the mention of data and those who can't contain their excitement. This story about numbers might just put Larimer County taxpayers on the edge of their seats.

Work is underway on building a system to share only need-to-know information among highly vetted individuals who respond to mental health-related emergencies in Larimer County.

The goals are to more quickly de-escalate behavioral health crises by supporting people in the moment and connecting them with their support network – think family, friends, case managers, or therapists.

“Let’s get them to a person that they trust, already know, or are already involved with,” said Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Steve Fay, a member of the data-sharing project team.

Called the Larimer Integrated Network of Care, or LINK, the  project is in its infancy, as of March 2025, but has potential to fundamentally change the way professionals across multiple systems collaborate to support those in crisis. The work is funded, in part, by a tax-backed Larimer County Behavioral Health Services Impact Fund grant.

It was born from a process that identifies key points within the criminal justice system where people with mental and substance-use disorders can be intercepted and linked to services, preventing further involvement in the system, called Sequential Intercept Mapping. It is a win-win approach that aims to support individuals and, ultimately, save taxpayers money. 

The data-sharing project team is made up of staff from the Larimer County departments of Community Justice Alternatives and Human Services, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, and longtime nonprofit behavioral health provider SummitStone Health Partners. A consultant is working with the team to identify relevant data-sharing and privacy laws and policies, determine what data are needed to support crisis care coordination, and select only the minimum number of roles that would need to access the database. 

Sharing data among different agencies can be challenging. The court, behavioral health, emergency services, and law enforcement systems have different laws and compliance requirements related to data privacy and release of information.

In the absence of a real-time data system, emergency responders and behavioral health care professionals meet to discuss and collaborate around care. Limited time and resources demand a focus on individuals who have a frequent impact on community resources, like fire and medical crews, emergency rooms or the jail, when experiencing a mental health crisis.

If emergency responders are able to look up a person’s history – as opposed to attempting to learn it from a person who may not be able to speak while in crisis – they could save time, prevent lapses in care, and support better outcomes for people in need.

“Individuals are more likely to become productive members of society, feel better, and function more effectively when they adhere to their treatment plan,” said Derik Stalls, a senior business analyst with Community Justice Alternatives. “Constantly changing treatments or starting from scratch can lead to confusion, setbacks, and worsening symptoms, ultimately delaying recovery and hindering long-term progress.”

If it’s difficult to wrap your head around how this would work, think of it this way: Doctors offices use systems to share information about patients so they can provide better, more-informed care. This is similar, on a local level.

Why does this matter? Let’s go through a scenario.

Imagine: You are a member of a co-responder mental health team.

Someone called 911 because they are concerned about a man near a grocery store in Larimer County. He’s yelling at vehicles and staggering in and out of traffic, putting himself and others at risk. The caller thinks he may be hurt but isn’t sure.

At the scene, you and the other first responders convince the man to move to a safer location. It becomes clear that he’s experiencing a behavioral health crisis. 

Your co-responder team of a licensed clinician and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office deputy stay with the man to support him while the others go back into service so they can respond to other emergency calls.

You meet the man where he is. Use training to de-escalate the situation. And work with him to figure out what’s happening and what he needs to navigate this crisis. It takes multiple hours to do this properly, including piecing together a behavioral health history as best you can.

The decision is made to transport him to the Acute Care facility at Longview campus, a taxpayer-supported facility for anyone, of any age, experiencing a behavioral health crisis. It will take days for the care team to get him stabilized, and he will start yet another process of meeting a therapist, sharing his story, and being treated.

What you and the other first responders didn’t know was this: The man is 45 years old. He has a good job, three children, and owns his home. He was, however, just in court finalizing a divorce that likely caused this current trauma response.

When he takes his medications and regularly meets with behavioral health professionals, he is, by all accounts, living a healthy life. Without them, he experiences psychosis that has prompted more than a dozen 911 calls and five visits to the emergency room so far this year. Mental illness, after all, doesn’t discriminate. 

Now imagine this: You were, instead, able to search his name in a secure system, see that history, and immediately call his therapist, who knows the medications and care he needs. That’s a better outcome for the man and the taxpayers of Larimer County.

From theory to practice 

As part of this project, Larimer County looked across the nation to find examples of those who have done it well. In this case, the team in Johnson County Kansas was among the stand-outs.

Jessica Murphy is a deputy division director with the Johnson County Mental Health Center. Agencies and municipalities in the area have shared data for nearly two decades and have concrete examples of how this behind-the-scenes work benefits their community.

Murphy remembers a time when a family took ride-share to the airport. Unbeknownst to them, the driver had a warrant out for their arrest. Police pulled the vehicle over, but the driver sped away – the family still in tow. Ultimately, the driver was arrested and the family escaped unharmed. But it was a traumatic event.

Behavioral health providers saw the 911 call in the system and reached out to offer support – a pleasant and appreciated surprise for the family members.

“That’s someone calling to say, ‘That’s a scary event. How are you doing? How is your sleep?”

“It really takes community policing to the next level,” Murphy said. 

The Johnson County team has fielded questions and concerns about privacy and reassured people that those using the system go through rigorous checks and are bound by numerous privacy laws and standards. Larimer County’s data-sharing group takes those concerns seriously and is committed to building a highly-monitored system with the potential to improve Larimer County.

“I see this being a chance to have a serious impact on the state of crisis care in our region,” said Cpl. Fay. Too often, he has seen situations where a person is already receiving behavioral health care but that information isn’t relayed to emergency responders, their care provider – or both.

Taxpayers should be proud of themselves for supporting behavioral health, Fay said, and, specifically, innovative work like this that prevents people from slipping through the cracks.

“To have that grassroots origin is impressive. I see Larimer County, our community, having a significant leadership role in how this is addressed across the nation.”