Welcome to Back from the Abyss. I'm Dr. Craig Hecock. I'm Dr. Craig Hecock.

You don't mean. Don't think that's, they'd get you off.

You don't want to hear how it does it.

Some days, it works, some days, um,

you know, I'm prone to say, um,

we don't do this, who's going to? Somebody has it.

This is what we call R.D.L. Renaissance downtown loss.

And Renaissance is one of the kind of the brandy names that our former CEO is a recording

that Chris and I made during a recent visit to the Stout Street Clinic in Denver.

We went there to meet Dr. Dave Iverson, a psychiatrist and head of psychiatric services for the clinic,

which serves the homeless and indigent population of Denver.

Ever since the Fish Bowl at the end of last season, I'd been looking for the right person to sit

down with me and explore this complex nexus of homelessness, severe mental illness, and addiction.

And after a month's long search, I finally found Dave.

Dr. Dave Iverson has devoted his entire career to serving those with the least.

He's been a psychiatrist on the front lines of the growing catastrophe that we see on the streets and sidewalks of every

American city. Today's episode is a bit of a departure for Back from the Abyss. Usually we

zoom in on personal stories. This one is more of a zoom out with a public health

and policy perspective, though we do get to hear a lot about what it's like to work in the

psychiatric trenches, the deep sense of purpose and urgency, along with the constant losses

and ever-growing numbers of people to serve. It gave me so much hope to get

to know Dave Iverson, a physician and a psychiatrist who leads with his heart. I hope you find

...