What Peer Assistance Services does

Peer Assistance Services, Inc. is a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 1984 by nurse leaders to deliver prevention and early intervention services for substance use and mental health concerns. The organization operates two principal programs: SBIRT in Colorado, launched in 2006, which provides training, technical assistance, and implementation support to integrate Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment into Colorado healthcare systems; and the Peer Health Assistance Programs, which deliver evaluation, referral, case management, and support to licensed health professionals with substance use, mental health, or related challenges affecting their practice. The Peer Health Assistance Programs serve more than 13 licensed professions, including nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, midwives, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, pharmacists, social workers, unlicensed psychotherapists, veterinarians, and veterinary technicians.

The organization runs a web-based screening tools platform at screeningtools.peerassistanceservices.org that hosts eight validated, free, anonymous instruments (ASSIST, AUDIT, DAST, CUDIT-R, CRAFFT, S2BI, PHQ-9, and EPDS) for substance use and mental health screening. Operations are delivered from a Denver headquarters (2170 South Parker Road, Suite 229) and a Grand Junction office (734 Main Street, Suite 120), providing statewide Colorado coverage. Leadership comprises CEO Chris Kesterson and a small executive team, with approximately 25-35 staff spanning administration, SBIRT delivery, Peer Health Assistance Programs, case management, evaluation, and consulting functions.

The business model is grant- and contract-funded rather than commercial: the bulk of revenue derives from Colorado government contracts and grants, supplemented by registration fees for SBIRT training programs that carry Continuing Education approvals for nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and physicians. Screening tools are provided free to the public, and peer health assistance services are delivered to individual professionals through contracts with licensing boards and professional associations. The organization is governed by a board of directors and has no venture capital, private equity, or institutional investment ownership.

Name

Peer Assistance Services

Legal name

Peer Assistance Services, Inc.

Website

https://peerassistanceservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Peer Assistance Services is a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit founded in 1984 that delivers substance use and mental health prevention, early intervention, and peer health assistance programs to licensed healthcare professionals across Colorado, plus SBIRT training to healthcare systems and free online screening tools to the public.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Contracts and Grants: As a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit, Peer Assistance Services operates primarily through government-funded contracts and grants to provide prevention and early intervention services statewide.
2. Training and Continuing Education Services: SBIRT training programs with Continuing Education approval for nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and physicians generate revenue through registration fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Peer Assistance Services provides evidence-based prevention and early intervention services for substance use and mental health concerns throughout Colorado. The organization operates two main programs: the SBIRT in Colorado program (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment training and technical assistance for healthcare systems), and Peer Health Assistance Programs (evaluation, referral, case management, and support services for licensed healthcare professionals). It also operates a free online screening tools platform offering multiple validated assessment instruments.

Product overview

Peer Assistance Services operates as a Colorado 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing a portfolio of prevention and early intervention services. The core offerings consist of two main program areas: the SBIRT in Colorado program (offering training, technical assistance, and implementation support for Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment), and the Peer Health Assistance Programs (providing evaluation, referral, case management, and support for health professionals). Complementing these programs is a suite of online screening tools accessible via screeningtools.peerassistanceservices.org, including ASSIST, AUDIT, DAST, CUDIT-R, CRAFFT, S2BI, PHQ-9, and EPDS. The organization has been serving Colorado since 1984 with evidence-based prevention and early intervention services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SBIRT in Colorado Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program providing in-person, online, and virtual training; technical assistance; and hands-on SBIRT implementation support to promote SBIRT as a standard of care throughout Colorado healthcare systems.
• Peer Health Assistance Programs Statewide peer health assistance programs for health and mental health professionals offering evaluation, referral, case management, and support services for those with substance use, mental health, and related challenges affecting their professional practice.
• Online Screening Tools Platform

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of continuous operation providing prevention and early intervention services statewide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tennessee Professional Assistance Program: State-administered peer assistance program offering evaluation, monitoring, and advocacy for Tennessee healthcare professionals with substance use or mental health concerns—directly comparable model and mission to PAS, but operating in Tennessee.
• Florida Professionals Resource Network (PRN): Florida's designated program providing intervention, monitoring, and advocacy for impaired healthcare professionals, mirroring PAS's Peer Health Assistance Programs structure for the same customer segment of licensed professionals.
• Washington Health Professional Services: Washington state's program offering case management, monitoring, and advocacy for healthcare professionals with substance use or mental health conditions, comparable to PAS in scope and regulatory role.
• Pennsylvania Physicians' Health Programs: Statewide PHP providing evaluation, treatment referral, and monitoring for Pennsylvania physicians and other healthcare professionals—comparable peer health assistance model and customer base as PAS.
• Oregon Health Professionals Program: Oregon's confidential resource providing evaluation, monitoring, and advocacy for licensed health professionals with substance use, mental health, or other conditions affecting practice—directly comparable peer assistance model.
• New York Committee for Physician Health: Operated by the Medical Society of the State of New York, CPH provides confidential evaluation, treatment referral, and monitoring for New York physicians—closely analogous to PAS's Peer Health Assistance Programs.
• IRETA (Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions): Pittsburgh-based non-profit delivering SBIRT training, technical assistance, and addiction education to healthcare providers and organizations nationwide—the closest direct peer to PAS's SBIRT in Colorado program.

Others

• Federation of State Physician Health Programs (FSPHP): National membership association for state-based physician and professional health programs, of which PAS is effectively a member analog. Functions as an ecosystem convener and standards body for the category PAS operates in.

Regional players

• Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention: Colorado-based statewide coalition housed at the University of Colorado Anschutz focused on substance use prevention, education, and policy. Operates in the same Colorado ecosystem as PAS but with different scope (prescription drug focus, academic governance) and limited overlap in service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA): Federal agency within HHS that funds and sets national standards for the substance use and mental health programs that PAS delivers. Not a competitor, but a primary funder, policy source, and standards setter whose grant and priority shifts directly affect PAS's operating environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/peer-assistance-services-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Peer Assistance Services