Denver moves STAR behavioral-health clinicians into city jobs
A city presentation says the shift from WellPower kept STAR on its seven-day schedule. Grant funding supports part of the program through at least July 2027.
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Denver says it has moved the clinical services of its Support Team Assisted Response (STAR) program from contractor WellPower to city jobs under the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE), completing a transition that was still underway at a September budget hearing.
A city presentation prepared for an Oct. 28 Health and Safety Committee briefing says STAR kept its schedule of seven days a week, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., with “minimal service interruption.” It lists 12 clinicians and two supervisors. WellPower’s contract had budgeted for about 16 clinicians, though officials said the program generally had no more than 13 working.
The presentation lists operating budgets of $6,060,166 for 2026 and $6,579,294 for 2027, before additional grant rollover. The 2026 total includes $4,450,887 in General Fund money and $1,609,279 in grants; the 2027 total includes $3,844,644 in General Fund money and $2,734,650 in grants. The city says the 2026 General Fund amount includes a one-time $580,000 supplemental allocation. With additional grant rollover, the presentation lists totals of $6,930,861 for 2026 and $7,162,170 for 2027, but says those amounts could change because rollover will not be finalized until year-end.
Those annual operating budgets differ from figures officials discussed at the Sept. 21 budget hearing: about $851,000 and 6.2 full-time-equivalent city-funded positions for the transition, plus a separate Caring for Denver grant of about $1.6 million supporting 7.8 positions. Officials said the grant was funded through at least July 2027 and that DDPHE planned to apply again when it ended. They said the department could maintain current staffing if the funding continues.
At the hearing, officials said moving clinicians into city employment was intended to improve coordination with 911 dispatch and give DDPHE more control over training, scheduling and day-to-day management. Those were expected benefits, not measured outcomes. The presentation lists operating-budget figures but does not establish that the city has adopted them.