DDPHE Issues Request for Proposals to Expand Wellness Winnie Program
Published on April 26, 2022
A second behavioral health care team and mobile medical unit will increase access to healthcare service for Denver residents
Building on the success of the Wellness Winnie mobile behavioral health program, the Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) is planning to expand the program and offer additional services. DDPHE has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a qualified local organization to provide accessible, culturally responsive, integrated behavioral healthcare services in a safe space for people with behavioral health concerns. With the expansion of the program, DDPHE aims to increase equitable access to integrated behavioral healthcare and peer support services to people in underserved areas of Denver.
Funded through Denver’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) allocation included in Mayor Michael B. Hancock’s 2022 budget and informed through community conversations, DDPHE will add a second behavioral healthcare team and a mobile medical vehicle to provide physical and behavioral health screenings and assessments, health education, substance use disorder treatment, including medications for opioid use disorder, and peer navigation. The second vehicle will also provide supportive services that are unavailable on the current vehicle due to its size.
“A second Wellness Winnie team and vehicle will greatly increase our ability to provide crucial behavioral health and substance misuse services to Denver residents who are unable to access them otherwise,” said DDPHE Executive Director Bob McDonald. “The more people we can connect to the right supportive services, the greater the outcomes will be for our community.”
The Wellness Winnie program is one way DDPHE is working to make behavioral health resources easily accessible to all Denver residents, as laid out in Empower Denver Behavioral Health Strategic Plan. In 2021, Wellness Winnie:
- Provided 3,667 with food, and hygiene, and survival supplies
- Provided mobile behavioral health and support services to 257 individuals
- Engaged 66% of those individuals with peer support and navigation services
- Provided multiple sessions of peer navigation, behavioral health, or clinical case management to 37% of residents served through the program
Proposals are due by 10 a.m. local time on Monday, May 2, 2022. Proposals should be submitted online through the Rocky Mountain E-Purchasing System. Find more information about Wellness Winnie.