Santa Fe Standard

New Mexico residents are set to see improvements in behavioral health services following the signing of Senate Bill 1 (SB1) and Senate Bill 3 (SB3) by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham on February 27, 2025. These legislative measures aim to enhance and expand behavioral health resources throughout the state.

Senate Bill 1 establishes the Behavioral Health Trust Fund, providing sustainable financing for mental health and substance use treatment programs. The fund will support services such as prevention programs, infrastructure development, and workforce expansion. Oversight of fund distribution will be managed by the Health Care Authority with legislative supervision to ensure accountability.

Senate Bill 3 introduces a regionalized approach to reforming behavioral health by forming a statewide executive committee to coordinate services based on local needs assessments. This legislation also aims to streamline Medicaid administration, improve workforce development, and conduct regular service gap assessments.

"Unanimous cooperation between our state legislators and Governor Lujan-Grisham demonstrates that New Mexico is ready to tackle the urgent behavioral health crisis burdening New Mexicans," said County Commissioner Lisa Cacari-Stone. "Given our comprehensive local system of care, Santa Fe County is well positioned to be a lead partner in implementing the nuts and bolts of behavioral health reform efforts from workforce development to treating mental health and substance use addictions as well as advancing culturally centered prevention strategies for our diverse populations."

These investments could provide critical resources for counties and cities across New Mexico to expand behavioral health services such as Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), psychiatry services for youth and adults, mobile crisis response teams, and housing solutions for individuals with serious mental illness.

With stable funding from the Behavioral Health Trust Fund, service providers can implement long-term strategies with state and local governments more effectively. Santa Fe County's Community Services Department currently offers essential behavioral health services through La Sala and other providers within the community.

"The passage of these Bills helps to redevelop and redesign the system of care and will serve to help benefit all residents by creating a more comprehensive, collaborative safety net that works to leverage resources regionally while sustainably sourcing supports for providers locally," said Anne Ryan, the County’s Community Services Director.

The County’s Adult Detention Facility provides medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for those with substance use disorders alongside integrated behavioral care services. In 2023, Santa Fe County received a Bureau of Justice Affairs grant to expand MAT services further.

"This process has been a journey but one worth taking as it’s resulted in great success for the care and health of those entering and exiting the County Jail," said Warden Derek Williams. "So much so that we’ve been asked to host peer communities as a Model Site next month in March."

Santa Fe County expresses gratitude towards the New Mexico State Legislator for investing in behavioral health initiatives aimed at better serving their community.