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Bernalillo County outlines $150M opioid‑settlement plan, promises public dashboard and recurring funding strategy
Summary
County Manager Cindy Chavez and Dr. Wayne Lindstrom presented a behavioral‑health strategy funded by the county behavioral‑health gross‑receipts tax and opioid‑settlement dollars, describing a $150 million multiprong plan, proposed public dashboards and an emphasis on Medicaid billing for sustainability.
Bernalillo County Manager Cindy Chavez and Dr. Wayne Lindstrom presented the county’s behavioral‑health strategy to the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee, summarizing years of local planning and recent investments funded through the Behavioral Health Gross Receipts Tax (BH‑GRT) and opioid settlement dollars.
Chavez said voters approved an 8‑cent BH‑GRT in 2014 to build a continuum of care and that the county recently enacted an ordinance (June 25, 2024) creating a Behavioral Health Authority division and a three‑year strategic plan. She said the county is pursuing a “no wrong door” model and will publish financial and performance metrics on a public accountability dashboard.
On opioid settlement funds, Chavez said the settlement presented an ‘‘unprecedented opportunity’’ to apply $150 million to expand treatment, prevention and capital projects. She told the committee the county has received $25 million in settlement funds to date, spent about $1.8 million, allocated roughly $16 million in upcoming RFPs, and currently has about $6.5 million unencumbered. The county plans to invest roughly $1.9 million per year in recurring funding to projects through 2030 to support operations beyond capital spending and emphasized directing state and federal billable revenue (Medicaid) toward sustaining services.
Dr. Lindstrom described care campus operations, the expansion of detox capacity (about 48 beds after recent additions) and an observation/assessment unit intended to improve access and throughput. He said average detox completion is five to seven days, with a maximum detox stay at two weeks in extreme cases, and noted that ‘living room’ peer‑run drop‑in models can be more effective when operated outside an institutional, fenced campus setting.
On sustainability, county staff said contracts require organizations to bill Medicaid where eligible and treat county dollars as a backfill so projects can move toward payer sustainability. Chavez said the county prioritized capital investments for small and medium providers to increase long‑term viability and will solicit RFPs to disburse planned allocations.
Why it matters: the county’s plan ties large, one‑time settlement dollars to long‑term capacity building and will test whether capital investments plus Medicaid reimbursement can sustain new services after settlement flows decline.
What’s next: the county will launch a public accountability dashboard as data become available and continue RFP cycles; committee members asked for tours and more data on outcomes for clients served by county programs.
