Expanding access to behavioral health crisis care

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Human Services Department (HSD) is excited to announce that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) approved the state’s proposal to implement community-based mobile crisis intervention teams, enabling expanded access to Medicaid covered crisis services. This approval under the Biden-Harris Administration significantly advances the state’s efforts to enhance community-based behavioral health crisis care.

“We are excited to roll-out community-based mobile crisis intervention teams in New Mexico. This significant milestone demonstrates New Mexico’s unwavering commitment to expanding access to crucial mental health and substance use crisis care,” said Kari Armijo, cabinet secretary for the New Mexico Human Services Department. “The deployment of this innovative approach will enable us to better serve New Mexicans in crisis, ensuring that they receive the timely and comprehensive support they require. We are committed to leveraging these resources to bolster our state’s behavioral health care landscape and to continue working toward a healthier and more resilient community for all.”

Through this approval, New Mexico becomes the 15th state to leverage resources allocated by the federal American Rescue Plan Act in furthering access to vital community-based behavioral health services. The approved proposal enables the state to design a system to ensure Medicaid customers are seamlessly connected to mobile crisis teams, comprised of trained behavioral health professionals and paraprofessionals, who provide rapid response, assessment, stabilization, and de-escalation in local communities.

The federal approval aims to enhance evidence-based practices and support systems for New Mexicans in crisis or needing intensive behavioral health interventions. New Mexico’s state plan amendment adds mobile crisis response and crisis planning, facilitation of in-person handoffs between health care team members, referrals to ongoing supports, and follow up check-ins for individuals experiencing a mental health or substance use disorder crisis.

Additionally, this approval includes five evidence-based services aimed at expanding children’s behavioral health services:

  • Enhanced rates for Multi-Systemic Therapy (MST).
  • Functional Family Therapy (FFT).
  • Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
  • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).

This approval stands as a testament to the Lujan Grisham Administration’s commitment to supporting New Mexicans in need of urgent behavioral health care.

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We talk, interpret and smile in all languages.  We provide written information to our customers in both English and Spanish and interpretation services are available in 58 languages through our provider, CTS Language Link. For our hearing, and speech impaired customers, we utilize Relay New Mexico, a free 24-hour service that ensures equal communication access via the telephone to individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech disabled.

The Human Services Department provides services and benefits to 981,259 New Mexicans through several programs including: the Medicaid Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Child Support Program, and several Behavioral Health Services.