Western Colorado University is a public university in Gunnison, Colorado, serving approximately 3,000 students. Located in a rural mountain community, WCU faced widespread counselor shortages, long wait times for appointments, limited access to diverse care providers, and seasonal mental health challenges tied to winter’s freezing temperatures and longer nights.
By partnering with TimelyCare, Western Colorado University expanded access to on-demand emotional and mental support, appointment-based counseling, advanced psychiatric care, self-care tools, and a nationwide peer support community.
"With increased demand that has grown pretty exponentially over the last several years, we just couldn’t keep pace. Students were having to wait for days to get in to see a counselor, and so it was an imperative that we had to figure out other solutions."
The Impact of TimelyCare at Western Colorado University
79%
of users reported mental health improvement using TimelyCare
37%
of all visits occurred after hours and on weekends
73%
of users said they would have done nothing if TimelyCare was not available to them
For Western Colorado University, virtual care helped expand mental health access, give students more provider options, and support care needs beyond standard hours.
- How Western Colorado University approached growing demand for mental health care in a rural community
- How students used virtual care for after-hours support, privacy, and access to more diverse providers
- How campus leaders and student ambassadors helped introduce a new virtual care resource to students
- Growing demand for mental health care
- Long wait times for therapy
- Lack of access to diverse mental health counselors
- Expanded access to on-demand emotional and mental support, appointment-based counseling, advanced psychiatric care, self-care tools, and a nationwide peer support community
- Provided after-hours care, with 37% of all WCU visits occurring after hours
- Reached students who may not otherwise have sought support, with 73% of WCU patients saying they would have done nothing without access to TimelyCare
- Students gave visits and providers an average rating of 4.9/5.0
See how Western Colorado University strengthened student mental health access with TimelyCare.
