Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Hidalgo Medical Services reports senior services continuity during Trout Fire; commissioners press for clarity on Tu Casa utilization
Summary
Hidalgo Medical Services told Grant County commissioners it maintained senior services during the Trout Fire and provided an update on behavioral‑health services at Tu Casa while commissioners sought more detail on utilization and staffing.
Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) presented its April–June quarterly report on senior services and gave an update on behavioral-health operations, including services at the Tu Casa behavioral-health site.
Ethan Novakoff, chief quality officer, told the board that senior‑services staff were "personally impacted" by the Trout Fire but that HMS maintained services by distributing shelf‑stable meals before evacuations and maintaining phone contact and coordination with the county. "We also appreciated the communication with the county, which helped us make decisions about ... when to reopen the center," Novakoff said.
Sue (Sil) Manlov, HMS chief behavioral‑health officer (six days on the job at the time of the presentation), described HMS service lines and staffing at Tu Casa, saying the agency provides outpatient counseling, medication‑assisted treatment (MAT), crisis intervention and peer support. Manlov said HMS is pursuing CCBHC certification; she said a "crisis triage center" is one of nine required services under the CCBHC model and that HMS is working with the New Mexico Health Care Authority on that effort. Dr. Otero (HMS) explained the regulatory history and operational constraints around crisis triage centers, including past licensing, pandemic impacts on operations, reimbursement uncertainty and changes to involuntary‑admission rules that may require facility renovations.
Commissioners pressed HMS on apparent low utilization at Tu Casa. Commissioner Flores said he had visited the facility and "didn't see anybody in the parking lot" and asked whether patients would be present on a typical day. HMS leadership said the outpatient clinic sees "about 12 patients a day" currently, down from roughly double that number previously; leadership cited provider turnover and seasonal variation and said they are investigating the drop in unique patients. HMS also said it deploys intakes and moves clients to private rooms for counseling, which may not be visible from public areas.
No change in funding or immediate action was requested of the county during the work session; commissioners requested continued follow‑up on patient volumes, provider stability, and the status of the CCBHC application and crisis‑triage planning.
Provenance: presentation and Q&A recorded in the meeting transcript (see provenance).
