Leigh Paterson
Senior Editor & ReporterAs KUNC's Senior Editor and Reporter, my job is to find out what鈥檚 important to northern Colorado residents and why. I seek to create a deeper sense of urgency and understanding around these issues through in-depth, character driven daily reporting and series work.
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The cumulative mental health strain over the last year has been significant, but in many communities, mental health services continue to lag behind the need. -
Although Colorado generally has one of the highest suicide rates in the country, preliminary state data indicates that the state's rate in 2020 remained relatively unchanged compared to 2019. -
Requests for emergency rental assistance are surging. Local governments and non-profits are scrambling to disburse millions in federal aid in time to prevent evictions.
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Un a帽o despu茅s de la pandemia, mientras muchos habitantes de Colorado est谩n comenzando a imaginar un regreso a la vida normal las solicitudes de asistencia de emergencia para el alquiler en el estado est谩n aumentando. -
Thousands of families across Northern Colorado, particularly Black and Latino residents, are struggling to pay rent because of the pandemic. In part one of 'On the Edge,' we look at the economic factors pushing people to ask for help.
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In 2019, Colorado launched a new program to keep people with unmet mental health needs out of the criminal justice system. But, over the summer, pandemic-related budget cuts gutted these mental health diversion programs. -
Colorado鈥檚 suicide rate among veterans is higher than the rate in other states and among the general population. A new program in Larimer County aims to intervene early by teaching cadets in the Reserve Officers Training Corps ways to handle self-harm. -
In dozens of Colorado communities, co-responder teams respond to emergency calls helping de-escalate, evaluate and connect people in crisis with services instead of jail time. Law enforcement leaders say these programs and indispensable and need to expand. -
First responders generally struggle with a higher rate of mental health issues than the general public. This winter, firefighters in northern Colorado are facing dual challenges: the aftermath of a long, difficult wildfire season and an ongoing pandemic. -
A new Colorado gun law has been divisive from the start. Now, a group of researchers is analyzing how it has been used in its first year.
