Santiago Bayley remembers a time when he wasn’t sure if he would make it to adulthood — a time when he wasn’t sure if he wanted to live that long.

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 poi

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