Denver, CO
For teens, Denver Health’s STEP provides mental health and substance treatment — and hope
Now 19 years old, Bayley is one of hundreds of metro Denver teenagers who benefit every year from Denver Health’s Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention program, known as STEP.
STEP therapists and psychiatrists work with young people at the uniquely challenging intersection of mental health and substance use struggles, medical director Mario Lintz said.
Teens often come to STEP through school referrals or their parents seeking help, or because they were seen in the emergency room or referred through a diversion program for juveniles in the court system.
Like many program graduates, Bayley found it during one of the lowest points of his life. He attempted suicide by overdose when he was a sophomore in high school and was treated at Denver Health, where he connected with a doctor who told him about STEP.
The swirl of developmental changes that happen in adolescence already makes it a prime time for teens to develop anxiety and negative thinking, Lintz said. Those changes, added to teens’ inclination to take risks while they’re trying to figure out who they are, can be a volatile combination.
“With kids who have a traumatic past, substance use becomes something they use regularly to deal with those things,” Lintz said.
And it might make them feel better at first, until they start experiencing withdrawal symptoms and worsening side effects, and are now struggling with a substance use disorder along with an untreated mental health disorder.
To make it even more challenging, it’s hard to find a provider who will treat both, whether in Colorado or across the country, Lintz added.
“As much overlap as there is between substance use and mental health disorders, they’re often viewed separately, and there’s not a lot of providers who feel comfortable treating both. It can make the picture unclear, from a mental health standpoint, of what’s going on,” he said.
STEP fills that need with ongoing therapy, medication management and an intensive, eight-week outpatient program for teens and their families.
The program also goes the extra mile to remove barriers that often prevent people from accessing care.
STEP isn’t just in one location — providers meet with their patients at the Bannock Street offices as well as at 11 Denver-area high schools. The program pays for transportation for about 40 young people to get to appointments every week. And there are always plenty of snacks and beverages on hand for those who need them.
Five years after he first started STEP, Bayley is now working toward an associate’s degree in business with the goal of completing a bachelor’s in marketing and becoming a marketing or brand director. He plans to move to New York City this summer to further his career goals.
It’s a dramatic difference from where he was, Bayley said — from wanting to give up to loving himself and feeling comfortable in his skin.
“I was a 13-year-old who smoked weed all day and thought college was stupid,” Bayley said. “Now I’m going to college. I care more about my life. Before I was fine dying before 18, and now I’m 19 and I want to live.”
Denver Health STEP program
Address: 660 Bannock St., Denver, CO 80204
In operation since: 2003
Number of employees: 10
Number of volunteers: 0
Annual budget: $1,178,147
Number of clients served: 5,310 total visits in 2024
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I’ve been covering the Denver Broncos for his entire career and I remember writing up some pretty harsh criticism of his play early on — especially in regards to holding penalties. I recall at one point he was committing holding penalties at a record-breaking rate. He was so far above the rest of the field that he’d break charts if anyone tried to chart it. The best part of that saga is that he never let the outside noise (from me and many others) get to him. He worked on his craft and he got better. And then got even better to the point where it is pretty clear that he is one of the best left tackles in all of football. He is going to go down as one of the best tackles in franchise history too when its all said and done. It’s a great comeback story.
All that said, he wasn’t the only one of the Broncos players on that offensive line to make an impact with guard Quinn Meinerz also being named a PFF All-Pro player. The whole offensive line has been dominant in nearly every category and is the main engine that has driven the offenses successes this season.
4) Denver Broncos
Team OLi Grade: 83.0
Best-Ranked OL: Garett Bolles, 89.0 (7th overall, 3rd position)
Worst-Ranked OL: Alex Palczewski, 63.5 (159th overall, 61st position)
And one more to complete the picture comes from Sharp Football Analysis who has the Broncos ranked fifth-overall in their NFL Offensive Line Stats:
There is so much evidence that shows the trenches on both side of the ball is what has brought the success of the 2025 Broncos. It’s an area that Sean Payton has said in the past is always an area of focus. He knows you don’t win consistently if your team is being dominated in the trenches.
As the number one seed in the AFC, the Denver Broncos could end up playing on either Saturday or Sunday. It all comes down to which teams win during Wild Card weekend.
Head Coach Sean Payton was asked about the potential Divisional Round schedule and he said nothing is finalized. However, the NFL has been known to follow a certain schedule that could end up with the Broncos playing on Saturday if either the Buffalo Bills or Los Angeles Chargers win on Sunday and they’d play the following Sunday only if they had to wait until Monday for the outcome of the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers game.
The other thing with that extra week off is about preparation. One of the better questions the media asked of Payton on Friday was whether or not they do more advanced scouting on potential opponents they have not yet played this season.
“Look, there are four options,” Payton said. “One is in the division. We’ve played one two years in a row—or it feels like that with Houston. Buffalo. We’ll break down kind of all four and then look at… We’ll have personnel reports on the four… You do have enough time to look at third down, look at personnel packages, study situational football. I think that’s pretty common when you look at playoff history. A lot of times, you end up with a division team sometimes in the first round. I know that’s happened a number of times over the years with me. It’s hard to gauge how these other games are going to go not having spent much time looking at New England. [We’ve] seen Jacksonville. It’s one of those where you just watch them. You’re working while you watch them. You’re working on each plan, and then you go from there.”
I came away feeling like Payton and the Broncos know two of their potential opponents fairly well. The other two will get some high level review, but nothing super deep as there just isn’t enough time. That is saved for this coming week when the opponent is finalized.
Payton and his staff have some great experience coaching in the playoffs, so this young Broncos team should be well-prepared for their football game.
Frankly, I like the idea of the Broncos getting their game out of the way early. Give Payton and his staff an extra day to begin the prep work needed for the AFC Championship game provided they come out with a win in the Divisional Round.
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