Cruces hearing will tackle mental illness, drug abuse

By Sen. Dede Feldman

Ask any office holder or candidate about some of the most heartbreaking concerns he or she hears about from voters, relatives and constituents and one topic will rise to the top: New Mexico’s alarming rate of mental illness and drug abuse. It seems like almost every family is affected.

According to a gap analysis that detailed the lack of services for people with mental and substance-abuse problems six years ago, one in five New Mexicans has a diagnosable mental illness or substance-abuse disorder. The National Association on Mental Illness (NAMI) reports that the national rate is one in four. According to military data, there was a 46-percent increase in the number of post traumatic stress disorder cases from 2006 to 2007. The Veterans Services Department estimates that, by the end of the year, New Mexico will be home to 175,000 recent veterans.

In Doña Ana County a group of mental-health advocates has been urging the state for years to put more funding into crisis services. Some of Doña Ana County’s vision on this issue is needed statewide.

In spite of the need, New Mexico is 51st in the nation (not possible? just include the District of Columbia) in spending for behavioral-health services, and, until a few years ago, services and funding for this population were a jumble of public and private programs with overlapping missions and sources of revenue.

In response to the 2002 gap analysis, and at the urging of the administration of Gov. Bill Richardson, the legislature authorized the reorganization of these services into the Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative. A few years ago, these services were put into a managed-care system. That service contract is currently held by Value Options but is now out to bid.

The past several years have brought dramatic change to the system for patients, providers and family members. These changes — and the status of behavioral-health services statewide — will be subject of hearings before the Legislature’s interim Health and Human Services Committee in Las Cruces on Wednesday and Thursday. The hearings will be held at Memorial Medical Center, 2450 S. Telshor Blvd., in rooms A and B.

Becky Beckett, president of NAMI New Mexico, Silvia Sierra, director of the Doña Ana County Health and Human Services Department, and two chief executives of area behavioral-health hospitals — Margaret McCowan of Mesilla Valley Hospital and Joe Rodriguez of Peak Behavioral Health Services — will kick off a panel at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Sue Campbell, co-chair of the 3rd Judicial District Behavioral Health Collaborative, will also participate in the panel.

The committee will also hear a report on the status of health-care reform efforts, which may play into a special legislative session the governor has said he will call in early September. The committee is soliciting public comment on these and other topics at 4 p.m. on Wednesday and 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.

Local initiatives highlighted

In spite of inadequate funding for behavioral-health services and the Legislature’s reluctance to address overall health-care reform, Doña Ana County always comes up with great models to address the health-care needs of its unique population here at the border. One of them, which the committee will hear about on Thursday, is the use of promotoras, or community-health workers, to give families advice and support, reduce use of emergency rooms and promote lifestyle modifications needed to manage chronic diseases.

Medicaid issues persist

According to the most recent available statistics, there were 39,904 children enrolled in Medicaid in Doña Ana County — with potentially many more eligible for services. Due to funding issues, however, the Human Services Department is cutting back on outreach. At the recent Legislative Finance Committee hearings in Chama, acting-Gov. Diane Denish stressed that setting children between birth and five years old on a healthy path is essential for a healthy society. I agree. Our goal needs to be — at the very least — ensuring that every child eligible for Medicaid is signed up and accessing the services he or she needs.

Feldman is a Democratic state senator from Albuquerque and chairs the interim Health and Human Services Committee. For more information on the hearings, click here or call her at (505) 220-5958.