Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Behavioral Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County chosen as accountable entity for regional behavioral-health investment; plan accepted and early grants awarded
Summary
Bernalillo County accepted the state'required regional behavioral-health plan April 28. The region's three-year allocation totals about $13.8 million (tribal set-asides included); the county also received early-gap awards to expand a residential program for pregnant/postpartum women and to sustain school-based services.
Bernalillo County on April 28 accepted the regional behavioral-health plan required by New Mexico's Behavioral Health Performant Investment Act and took early awards from the state's gap fund to expand treatment capacity.
County staff said the region (aligned with Judicial District 2) was allocated approximately $13.8 million over three years by the state's funding formula after equal base allocations and adjustments; the state also set aside a tribal allocation the region must honor. The county had applied quickly for an early-gap award; staff said the county received approximately $2 million in near-term funds for two projects: renovating Mariposa, a residential treatment program to allow pregnant and postpartum women to remain with their children during treatment, and a sustained award to Albuquerque Public Schools for school-based intervention work.
Consultant Dr. Brown Nisser, who helped prepare the plan with county behavioral-health staff, said the plan organizes investments around five priorities: policy, access, continuum of care, social drivers of health and workforce development. "We used Medicaid utilization data, a sequential-intercept model and broad community engagement to identify the region's service gaps," she said.
Several commissioners praised the outreach and the county's leadership but also criticized the state's funding formula, which favors rural regions and reduces the per-capita allocation for the Albuquerque-centered region. Commissioner Phil Leas said the formula left Bernalillo County with roughly one-third of what a straight per-capita distribution would have produced and urged continued advocacy at the state level for a larger, sustainable fund.
The commission voted to accept the plan and the early-gap awards; staff will pair the state awards with county oversight and return with implementation steps and reporting requirements.
What happens next: staff will issue requests for proposals and implement early projects while continuing tribal engagement and reporting to the state's behavioral-health executive committee.
