Dec. 16—Nearly $4 million will go to four behavioral health providers in New Mexico to expand services for at-risk children, the state Department of Children, Youth and Families announced Monday.
The $3.7 million will be used to serve children across age groups, by providing providers with seed capital for startups, funding specialized training or supporting other programs.
The programs will focus on filling gaps in communities where such behavioral health interventions are currently lacking, and will “address systemic family issues and support children and youth with complex needs,” CYFD spokesperson Jessica Preston wrote in an email.
CYFD Cabinet Secretary Teresa Casados said in a statement that the money is a “direct investment in the future of the health and well-being of the family.”
“A range of new and innovative behavioral health services will provide children, youth and families in New Mexico with the best support in the early intervention phases and during ongoing rehabilitation care,” Casados said. “We strive to provide families with a variety of mental health support services that help them overcome trauma and other harms to their emotional well-being.”
The money comes from a $4 million allocation for the Children’s Behavioral Health Expansion Project, which has remained unused thus far. It’s part of a larger $20 million pot set aside by state lawmakers for CYFD and the New Mexico Health Care Authority.
Providers will use the funds to establish school-based clinical services and provide therapy tailored to be culturally and linguistically responsive to the needs of children and families.
Preston said the dollars were intended to build long-term programs, and were not focused on the number of children they would serve. She added that the number of children served by each provider varies by program.
Eighteen providers applied for the money through a CYFD application, but only four were selected.
The first, The Sávila Collaborative, will serve Bernalillo County with a specific focus on the South Valley and the International District in Albuquerque, according to a CYFD procurement document. The partnership will provide bilingual behavioral health services to children up to age 5, youth entering adulthood and youth “at risk of community disruption.”
The nonprofit Gallup Community Health will serve McKinley County and target all youth under the age of 18 and their families, the document shows. That agency aims to set up different types of therapy, including a family model aimed at Native American families.
H2 Academic Solutions, headquartered in Belen, will provide behavioral health care to children with severe emotional disorders in the provinces of Valencia, Socorro and Cibola. And Kids Counseling LCC, according to the tender document, will provide the same services to young people in the provinces of Mora and San Miguel.
“We are ensuring New Mexico families have access to the care they deserve by building the capacity of our behavioral health network and helping them heal and thrive in their communities,” Cabinet Secretary of Health Kari Armijo said in a statement .
Esteban Candelaria is a member of the staff at Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. He is responsible for the child welfare and state Department of Children, Youth and Families. Learn more about Report for America at reportforamerica.org.
