Helen Santoro
Freelance Reporter
Twitter @helenwsantoro

Helen Santoro is a freelance journalist who covers health, neuroscience, wildlife, climate change and LGBTQ+ communities.

Health
Long-time residents are providing much needed mental health care for people suffering from depression, drug abuse or a suicide attempt.
By Helen Santoro and Stephanie Maltarich
Joe Petersen now serves as a peer support specialist at Gunnison Valley Health, where he helps people who come into the ER because of a suicide attempt, drug overdose or other serious mental health concerns — issues he himself has survived. Photographed in Gunnison on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.Joe Petersen now serves as a peer support specialist at Gunnison Valley Health, where he helps people who come into the ER because of a suicide attempt, drug overdose or other serious mental health concerns — issues he himself has survived. Photographed in Gunnison on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021.