History
Jefferson Hills has been a leader in providing secure residential treatment for Colorado’s emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth since 1993. Known for innovation, collaboration, and meeting community needs, Jefferson Hills has continually been on the cutting edge of providing services to Colorado’s at risk children and youth. Below is a timeline of events as our history has unfolded over the past 20 years.
August, 1993 Incorporation of Jefferson Hills as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jefferson Center for Mental Health; purchase of the Lakewood site; Division of Youth Corrections awards Jefferson Hills the contract for mental health services for committed youth
August, 1994 Added female unit
1995 Increased to 50 youth
January, 1997 Leased 40 beds at Aurora Behavioral Health Hospital, one male and one female unit
March, 1999 Purchased Aurora Behavioral Health Hospital, 90 residential beds plus social detox unit leased to Arapahoe House
2003 capacity Lakewood – 70, Aurora – 84, serving DYC and county child welfare youth, males and females
2006 Became accredited through Council on Accreditation for Children and Family Services, began electronic medical record development
August, 2006 Developed Quality Education Services (QES) to provide increased education oversight to small education programs and spread education administrative expenses
March, 2010 Consolidated the Lakewood and Aurora sites, having 75 youth at the Aurora site
January, 2011 Opened New Vistas at Jefferson Hills at the Lakewood site, an intensive crisis stabilization program
August, 2011 Opened Day Treatment at our Lakewood site
October, 2012 Jefferson Hills launches a major Trauma Informed Care Initiative throughout the organization
September, 2014 Colorado Community Connection (CCC) awarded the metro area’s services under the Governor’s Colorado Crisis Services continuum
December 1, 2014 Jefferson Hills opens a Child/Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit at each of its Lakewood and Aurora sites under CCC
March, 2015 New Vistas provides services to its 4,000th child June, 2015 The Child/Youth CSUs have served 575 children/youth in its first 7 months of operation
April, 2015 with the expansion of services at the Lakewood site, our Administrative and Business Offices lease space in one of the JCMH newly acquired buildings, adding more HR space and a larger conference room for training
June, 2015 The Child/Youth CSUs have served 575 children/youth in its first 7 months of operation
August, 2015 Jefferson Hills was awarded an EARSS (Expelled and At Risk Student Services) grant for SSR youth
December 2015 February, 2016 – Jefferson Hills completes a major initiative to train all staff in the evidenced based practice of Motivational Interviewing