We recently connected with Carlos Urias and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Carlos, thanks for joining us today. How’s you first get into your field – what was your first job in this field?

I joined the Army as a tank mechanic. I was stationed in Ft. Hood, TX for my first assignment. With this job, we spent a number of months in the “field” doing training exercises. The tank was new at the time and was powered by a turbine jet engine. So you can imagine, working on a tank engine whose exhaust is 1700 degrees in the middle of the Texas heat in the summer. I knew i didn’t want to do that forever, so fortunately my test scores were high enough that I could change career fields when it was time to reenlist. So i went to my reenlistment person and asked for a hospital job. He recommended a physical therapy tech but told me the school wasn’t for another year. I wanted to change jobs as soon as I could so I asked what job was available the soonest. He said, psych tech. I said I would take it! And then I had to ask what it was. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Once I got into the field, I realized I kinda liked it and over time, I became very good at talking to people and helping them through difficult situations or getting them to the appropriate resource that could help. As you gain more rank in the military, you do less patient care and more administration. This i really enjoyed. I loved the abilty to develop and imporve processes; manage staff, money and equipment; put out fires; and make a difference in the lives of many patients. When I retired from the military, I continued to be an administrator in organizations working with military and Veteran populations. Both the military and the move to mental heatlh has really shaped my life and how i can communicate an work with people. I’m so glad to have been shaped by both careers.

Carlos, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am the 5th of six kids and grew up in Oklahoma. I had a great childhood and was active in sports which I’ve maintained as an adult. I still play golf and volleyball regularlly. I have taken up woodworking as a hobby as I grown older. I also enjoy working in the yard and doing projects around the house. I currently serve on the CO state board for National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI). As I mentioned earlier, I came into the mental health field over 30 years ago really by accident. In my prior job as an outreach liaiason for a mental health company, I was continually asked about an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). That company wasn’t going to start one and there weren’t good options in the area, so I, along with a few partners, decided to build our own. When starting a company, there is always a leap of faith. I’ve always wanted to do more in the mental health arena which is why I joined the NAMI board. I saw an opportunity to help make a larger difference in the community. Colorado Springs barely has the resources to care for those struggling with mental heath issues and the therapists need a relief valve for patients who are really struggling. We wanted to be that relief valve. Our IOP will provide intensive group therapy sessions for three hours a day, three days a week. We will also offer individual counseling, family counseling and medication management. These three services aren’t normally offered in an IOP program so I think this will help set us apart. At the end of the day, it’s what’s best for the patient. We want to have enough services to make sure the patient got as much care as they needed. We want to be a partner in the community who will work with those providers who refer to us in treatment planning and discharge planning for their patients. We also want to be responsive to both the patient and partners throughout the process and provide great communication.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Starting this business has been a pivot point in my life. I’m in my 50’s and decided to leave a job I had been successful with and was comfortable with. I was leaving a job where i recieve regular bonuses, paid mileage, gave me a credit card, and paid me more money. But, I just wasn’t fullfilled anymore. I needed more. I didn’t hate going to work, but i was bored at work. I still loved the mission and I loved talking to people about how we could help pepole. So when my business partner approached me about started this business, I was in. It was a leap of faith, and having the courage to believe in and bet on yourself. At this stage in my life I should be more focused on retirement that starting a new business, but it’s been one of the greatest moves I’ve made. Everything I do, everything, is to make me a better life down the road. I could have continued making my boss a wonderful life, or I could make myself one. I probably would never had done this by myself, so finding like minded people who share a similar vision of life is important.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I always called myself the “fix it man.” What I meant by this is, if someone had a problem, I wanted to be on their list of people who could fix it for them. And then you have to do it. For me, people called all the time, asking about getting a patient in, so I would walk down to our intake department and get them scheduled. If there was ever an issue a provider had with our company, I would get to the source of the issue and make sure we corrected it for the future. If there was a program need in the community, I’d work with the clinical team to get it developed. I responded to all patient complaints and talked with them to understand the issue and then get it corrected is appropriate. I communicated communicated communicated with our partners. So no real, secret sauce other than don’t be a dick.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.collectivehealthpartners.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/collectivehealthpartners/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Collectivehealthpartners
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/carlos-urias-34465485/