The extensive investigative reporting by the Colorado News Collaborative in Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Sentinel regarding Mind Springs Health was quite revealing. And sobering. It paints a picture of a vital organization failing at its mission in the communities it is supposed to serve, and thwarting inquiries into where things are going wrong.

With mental health crises reaching devastating levels, some local leaders are going around the organization to deliver critical services in a “don’t call Mind Springs” environment.

The story by Susan Greene is part of a statewide reporting project by the Colorado News Collaborative called On Edge. In it, officials from several western Colorado counties say Mind Springs is failing to deliver core services, is opaque in how it handles its finances and has set back the mental health of some of its patients.