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Detention medical services report shows fewer ER visits and pharmacy savings under regional MOU
Summary
Roadrunner Health Services reported declines in ER visits and specialty visits at the Curry County detention center and said a New Mexico DOH MOU supplying Suboxone tablets has reduced monthly pharmacy expenditures; county staff noted plans to issue an RFP for medical services this summer.
Roadrunner Health Services presented April metrics for detention medical care and told the commission the county is seeing fewer outside hospitalizations and lower prescription expenditures after implementing in-house care initiatives and a Department of Health memorandum of understanding for medication supplies.
Montoya, presenting the Roadrunner slide packet, said psychiatric consult averages dropped from 62 to 51 per month and specialty visits fell from 10 to 6 per month. "ER visits as well. Last year, the average per month was 9. This year, the average was 4," Montoya reported, citing increased in-house care and counseling that reduced transports and costs.
Montoya credited an MOU with the New Mexico Department of Health that supplied Suboxone tablets to contracted counties, lowering monthly pharmacy costs. He said counties are required to provide medication but the MOU has provided about 300,000 tablets for regional use, enabling an estimated county savings of $7,000–$9,000 per month on prescriptions.
Detention-center director Aldnes presented the March operational report: average daily population 127, bookings 142, 12 participants approved for the medication-assisted-treatment (MAT) program during March, and Edovo education-program engagement metrics (about 130 active learners and 2,515 total learning hours for the month). Aldnes also noted 11 officer vacancies and that the county is seeking proposals for medical services; the county paid over $2,000,000 for medical services in calendar year 2025.
Aldnes submitted the restrictive-housing quarterly report required under House Bill 364 and told the commission that in Q1 2026 no detainees were placed in restrictive housing due primarily to a serious mental-health diagnosis. He also summarized operational improvements (restrictive-housing unit refurbishments and preventive maintenance) and use of regional staff funded through inter-county agreements.
What’s next: county procurement staff are running an RFP for detention medical services; a contract recommendation is expected this summer. Commissioners asked for continued updates on staffing, billing (courtesy holds and out-of-county juvenile billing), and the balance between in-house care and necessary outside transports.
Direct quotes in context are drawn from the Roadrunner and detention reports presented to the commission.
