{"id":470530,"date":"2017-11-27T08:56:38","date_gmt":"2017-11-27T15:56:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/?p=470530"},"modified":"2017-11-30T07:05:07","modified_gmt":"2017-11-30T14:05:07","slug":"editors-note-seeking-an-improved-behavioral-health-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nmpolitics.net\/index\/2017\/11\/editors-note-seeking-an-improved-behavioral-health-system\/","title":{"rendered":"From the editor: Seeking an improved behavioral health system"},"content":{"rendered":"

Click here<\/a> to go back to the “Distressed” series homepage.<\/em><\/p>\n

More than four years after Gov. Susana Martinez\u2019s freeze of Medicaid funds threw the state\u2019s behavioral health system into chaos<\/a>, it has yet to recover. Meanwhile, crisis calls to 911 have spiked in Do\u00f1a Ana County as law enforcement is increasingly tasked with handling such situations.<\/p>\n

\"Heath

Heath Haussamen<\/p><\/div>\n

Martinez\u2019s Medicaid freeze is one of several hits in recent years for southern New Mexico\u2019s fragile system of care for people suffering from issues like mental illness and addiction. Policymakers are aware of the problems and have taken some steps to help, but progress has been slow. A crisis triage center the county completed in 2013 has sat unused ever since, perhaps the most tangible sign that good intentions haven\u2019t led to the help people need.<\/p>\n

So instead, people in crisis too often meet armed law enforcement officers in situations that are dangerous and can be deadly. Police usually do their best, but this isn\u2019t a problem they can solve. The issues run deeper and the solutions must be systemic.<\/p>\n

It was with this sad reality in mind that I set out a year ago to put together a team of journalists to investigate southern New Mexico\u2019s struggling behavioral health system, tell the stories of people the system impacts, and explore solutions. Thanks to a grant from the Fund for Investigative Journalism<\/a>, NMPolitics.net, the Las Cruces Sun-News and KRWG News were able to assemble a team of dedicated journalists to do just that.<\/p>\n

Over the course of the last 11 months our team has worked exhaustively to produce this in-depth series, which we are calling “Distressed” — a label that captures the state of our behavioral health system. As the project\u2019s editor, I\u2019ve been immersed in versions of these written articles and videos. I\u2019ve felt angry. Sometimes I\u2019ve wept. I learned a lot and felt motivated to act. I hope you do too.<\/p>\n

If you’re looking for guidance on how to navigate this series, let me suggest an order to read these articles. The first two focus on law enforcement:<\/p>\n