Montezuma County review finds mental health, substance use and alcohol‑related deaths among top concerns

Montezuma County public health staff presented the county’s 2025 community health assessment (CHA) to the Board of Health on April 8, summarizing survey results and secondary data and outlining next steps to develop a public health improvement plan.

Katie Maxwell, public health planner, said mental health ranked first among 13 surveyed issues. Maxwell reported that “the suicide rate currently is 39 suicide deaths per every 100,000 people in Montezuma County,” nearly double the state rate she cited as 22 per 100,000. Maxwell said the county’s years‑of‑life‑lost analysis shows unintentional injuries, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, and suicide are the largest contributors to premature mortality.

The CHA also highlighted substance‑use concerns tied to alcohol. Maxwell said 30 percent of fatal crashes in the county involved drivers or motorcycle operators with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 or higher, and that the county’s death rate from alcohol‑related liver disease from 2020–2023 was 3.6 times the state average (55 deaths in Montezuma County vs. 15 for the state during that period).

Survey results flagged housing and basic needs: Maxwell said 69 percent of respondents listed a lack of affordable, quality housing as a major concern, and 84 percent identified lowering food costs as a top community need. Healthcare access responses were mixed: Maxwell reported roughly 49 percent of respondents said they struggled to access care, while 42 percent said access was not difficult.

Board members and providers discussed drivers of the mental‑health and access issues. Amanda Mullen, the county medical officer, and others noted a national trend of physician turnover and increasing employment of clinicians by health systems rather than solo private practice, which affects rural recruitment and retention. Mullen and hospital representatives said the hospital has been actively recruiting physicians and expects improvements in primary care staffing later in the year; however, behavioral‑health provider capacity remains lower than primary care availability.

Maxwell explained next steps: an advisory committee will prioritize the top issues identified from the survey and secondary data, assess community and internal capacity, and produce a public health improvement plan that will serve as a five‑year strategic guide. The board voted to send the CHA to the state after a short period during which one commissioner requested time to review the data; county staff said two weeks would not change the underlying results and planned to finalize and transmit the report.

The CHA material and the public health improvement plan will be used to guide county efforts and partnerships with local agencies and hospitals on prioritized issues such as suicide prevention, substance use interventions, housing support and access to care.