PRESS RELEASE

August 18, 2025

Peak Vista Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship Program Graduates First Class

Colorado Springs, Colo.  –  On Aug. 22, 2025, four individuals will graduate from Peak Vista Community Health Centers’ (Peak Vista) Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) Fellowship Program. Two will stay at Peak Vista and two will stay in Colorado Springs, continuing to care for the underserved population.

The PMHNP Fellowship is one of only four in Colorado.

Peak Vista announced the PMHNP Fellowship in June of 2023 and welcomed the first class of Fellows in September of last year. It is one of four such programs in Colorado, with the others in Denver and the Western Slope.

The PMHNP Fellowship creates opportunities for nurse practitioner graduates from Colorado and beyond to receive mentorship and support along their professional journeys, with the ultimate goal of reducing provider burnout and addressing the shortage of mental health practitioners. During their 12-month stay, Fellows see patients three days a week, building rapport with their patients, growing their confidence in providing care and learning how to manage complex community health cases. They spend the rest of their time learning more about sub-specialties within psychiatry and researching ways to better the community’s health.

“I love to see their growth,” said Dr. Patricia Bursnall, director of the PMHNP Fellowship. “The Fellows’ ability to dive into complicated patient care in a holistic, empathic manner – with special attention to the social determinants of health – inspires me to work hard to create a supportive program. With each group, we will continue to break down access barriers and provide quality psychiatric care to our community.”

Colorado lacks accessible mental health care. The PMHNP Fellowship is solving that problem.

• More people need mental health care than ever before. In 2023, the Colorado Health Institute (CHI) recorded that one in four Coloradans report having poor mental health – the highest number it has seen. After Peak Vista launched the PMHNP Fellowship, it saw more than 1,000 internal referrals from providers, demonstrating the community’s need for mental health services. The PHMHP Fellowship saw and cared for over 800 new patients between September 2024 and July 2025, through more than 4,000 visits. Those numbers continue to increase.
• Mental health care is hard to access. CHI also found that more than 880,000 Coloradans could not access mental or behavioral health services, often citing difficulties getting an appointment when they need it. The national average wait time for behavioral health services, according to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is 48 days. After training through the PMHNP Fellowship, the Fellows decreased their new patient wait times from two months to two weeks – 34 days under the national average.
• We don’t have enough mental health practitioners. According to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Colorado Health Systems Directory Primary Care Office, there were 92 primary care physicians per 100,000 people in Colorado in 2021. For psychiatrists, that number was only 15. Studies show that nurse practitioner fellowships increase job retention, and the results from the first class of the PMHNP Fellowship support that.

Taylor Hartke, PMHNP-BC, a fellow in the 2025 class, said, "The PMHNP Fellowship was invaluable in shaping me into a better provider, not just through clinical training but through the unwavering emotional support and guidance of my attendings. Their passion for patient care and dedication to teaching created an environment that made all the difference in my first year as a provider."

The class of 2025 will provide mental health care in Colorado and beyond.

All the Fellows from the 2025 class will remain in Colorado, a resounding boon for mental health care access in our community.

Taylor Hartke, PMHNP-BC

Hartke will stay in the Colorado Springs community, working in a holistic environment and working with the underserved population.

Brittany Marquez, PMHNP-BC

Marquez will remain at the PMHNP Fellowship as a senior fellow, educating the class of 2026.

Grace Otuokere, DNP, PMHNP-BC

Otuokere plans to continue caring for the underserved in Colorado Springs.

Rebecca Sours, FNP-C, PMHNP-C

Sours will continue with the PMHNP Fellowship as an attending faculty member.

The PMHNP Fellowship program has already selected the Fellows for the class of 2026, seeing triple the applications this year. Applications for the class of 2027 open in November 2025.

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About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit organization providing exceptional health care to people facing access barriers through clinical programs and education. Celebrating over 50 years of community health service, Peak Vista offers primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services. We proudly serve over 74,000 patients annually through 20 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit PeakVista.org.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 August 13, 2025

Fountain Valley Senior Center to Host Drive-Thru Monetary Donation Event

Supporting the “Help Us Thrive in a Time of Uncertainty” Campaign

Fountain, Colo. — The Fountain Valley Senior Center (FVSC) will host a Drive-Thru Monetary Donation Event on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at 5745 Southmoor Drive, Fountain, CO 80817. Community members are invited to drop off cash, check, or card donations to support FVSC’s “Help Us Thrive in a Time of Uncertainty” campaign.

The campaign aims to protect essential programs—transportation, meal delivery, and wellness services—that benefit hundreds of older adults throughout Fountain Valley and eastern El Paso County.

“Our seniors are facing more than just aging—they’re facing isolation, hunger, and disconnection,” said Mark Bowers, Executive Director of the Fountain Valley Senior Center. “This center has been their safe haven for over four decades. Now, we are the ones who need help.”

Why It Matters

• Transportation rides cut by 20% in 2025 due to funding shortfalls
   
• Meal programs and wellness services at risk of scaling back
   
• 60% of FVSC clients live alone or below the federal poverty line
   

Without additional support, further reductions could jeopardize seniors’ access to meals, mobility, and connection to their community.

For people like Frances Gagliano, age 84, FVSC is more than a center—it’s a lifeline.

“I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have this place,” she shared. “There’s always something going on, and the staff is so sweet—they care about my welfare.”

How to Help

• Drive-Thru Drop-Off: Saturday, September 13, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
   Location: 5745 Southmoor Drive, Fountain, CO 80817
   Enter through the South Drive, follow the arrows, and exit via the North Drive.
   
• Donate Online: www.fvscenter.org
• Mail Donations: Fountain Valley Senior Center, 5745 Southmoor Dr, Fountain, CO 80817
   
• Contact: 719-600-2644 | info@fvscenter.org
   

Since 1981, FVSC has delivered more than 43,000 rides and 27,000 meals annually, while also offering fitness classes, enrichment programs, and opportunities for social connection.

“This isn’t about saving a building,” Bowers said. “It’s about protecting people’s dignity. If we act now, we can preserve what truly matters for the people who built this community.”

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 Media inquiries: Contact Mark Bowers at 719-600-2644 or info@fvscenter.org

PRESS RELEASE

August 13, 2025

Breakfast of Champions® Event to Feature Olympian Carl Lewis and Recognize Dr. Patrick Faricy

Colorado Springs, Colo.  –  The Breakfast of Champions®, Peak Vista Community Health Center Foundation’s (Peak Vista) long-running fundraising event, will feature Olympic legend, Carl Lewis, as its keynote speaker and recognize long-time Peak Vista advocate, Dr. Patrick Faricy, as its 2025 Champion of Community Health. The event will be held at 7 am, Wednesday, Oct. 22 at the Broadmoor’s International Center.

Proceeds from the event will support Peak Vista’s Uncompensated Care Fund, which provides medical, dental and behavioral health care to those who cannot afford it otherwise. Peak Vista is the health care home for more than 74,000 patients across 14 counties in Colorado, with more than half living at or below the Federal Poverty Level. In 2024 alone, Peak Vista provided $15 million in uncompensated care, an increase of 47% over the previous year.

Peak Vista is honored to recognize two remarkable individuals in 2025:

Keynote Speaker: Carl Lewis

Sportsman of the Century. World Athlete of the Century. Olympian of the Century. Lewis is one of the most decorated American Olympians in history, with ten total medals across four Olympic Games. In 1984, Lewis entered the Olympic scene, dominating the 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100 relay and long jump races. He continued to set records and win medals for the next decade, winning Olympic Gold in each of the four Olympics in which he competed: Los Angeles, Seoul, Barcelona and Atlanta.  An activist for family, youth, education, wellness and fitness, Lewis brings his international celebrity to attract awareness for the challenges and opportunities surrounding these issues around the world. Today, Lewis serves as the head track and field coach at the University of Houston.

Champion of Community Health: Patrick O. Faricy, MD

Peak Vista will present Faricy with its 2025 Champion of Community Health Award at the October event. The Champion of Community Health Award is bestowed to advocates for and changemakers in community health. It was first presented to Bishop Richard Hanifen, one of the key founders of Peak Vista, during the original Breakfast of Champions® event in 2005.

Faricy has a long history of influence and care in Colorado Springs. As President and Managing Partner of Urological Associates PC, he grew the practice as he innovated how the community’s urologists collaborated for the good of all patients. While successfully leading the medical team at Memorial Hospital during the transition from a city-operated facility to being part of the UCHealth system might not be recognized as an Olympic achievement, it is certainly a Herculean task. And it is one that Faricy managed with quiet grace and deep integrity as Memorial’s Chief Medical Officer. Faricy builds community wherever he is, whether through development of a collegial approach to cover weekend calls for competing practices or in driving his colleagues to volunteer at Peak Vista. His commitment to quality of care extends from his days in medical school to his current role as Quality Committee Chair for the UCHealth Memorial Hospital Board of Directors.

Sponsorships, Donations and Tickets

The Breakfast of Champions® celebrates individuals who overcome physical and mental challenges to achieve extraordinary feats that expand our understanding of human capacities. Sponsorships, donation opportunities and tickets at PeakVista.org/BOC.

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About Peak Vista Community Health Centers

Peak Vista Community Health Centers is a nonprofit organization providing exceptional health care to people facing access barriers through clinical programs and education. Celebrating over 50 years of community health service, Peak Vista offers primary medical, integrated behavioral health and dental care services. We proudly serve over 74,000 patients annually through 20 outpatient centers in Colorado’s Pikes Peak and East Central regions. To learn more about Peak Vista, visit PeakVista.org.