Advancing care in southern new mexico through ccbhc implementation will create a certified community behavioral health clinic (ccbhc) to serve individuals and families of all ages within doña ANA…

Advancing care in southern new mexico through ccbhc implementation will create a certified community behavioral health clinic (ccbhc) to serve individuals and families of all ages within doña ANA county (county), an estimated 500 unduplicated individuals, by providing comprehensive, coordinated care. The person- and family-centered integrated services will prioritize individuals in crisis, those experiencing a lack of access to behavioral healthcare services, and need support with substance use-related resources. IT is estimated the program will serve 50 individuals in year 1; 100 in year 2; 150 in year 3; and 200 in year 4. The county, with nearly 220,000 residents and a 5% growth rate, is the second largest county in the state by population and abuts 64 miles of border with mexico. More than 61% of county residents are hispanic, most of mexican-american descent, with over 50% of residents speaking a language other than english at home. Half of county residents live in the urbanized city of LAS cruces, while the remaining residents live in the more than 20 small towns and villages that are disconnected from the urban center. A total of 90,000 residents live in the county's 37 colonias (unincorporated communities of extreme poverty) dotting the border, with one in four living in poverty in the 4,000 square miles of wild brush and isolated rural areas. County residents are vulnerable to unemployment rates as high as 8%, housing and job losses, mental health challenges, and a 40% increase of crimes between 2021 to 2022 (in the urban core of LAS cruces, new mexico). The county ranks 12TH out of 33 new mexico counties reporting sadness or hopelessness, 36.1% respectively, nearly twice the national average (CDC, 2020). Overall, nearly 20,000 or 9% of the population lives with a substance use issue in the county, yet only 4,500 are actively seeking treatment (new mexico substance use disorder treatment GAP analysis, january 2020). Local data show that over 1/3 of residents need mental health services and 30% residing within colonias also identify a need for mental health support (center for community analysis at new mexico state university, sept. 2020). The ccbhc will successfully implement and achieve the following goals and objectives. Goal #1: increase the capacity of the local mental health crisis response to reduce the risk of high-risk behaviors that may contribute to attempted suicides, unnecessary criminalization of youth and adults, or death. This will be done through completion of objectives 1A - 1D. Goal #2: establish the first certified community behavioral health center (ccbhc) in new mexico to improve the behavioral health of residents, completing objectives 2A - 2H. Goal #3: increase the level of behavioral health equity in decisions-making activities associated with the ccbhc by completing objectives 3A and 3B.