New Mexico
New behavioral health clinics open across New Mexico
Five new behavioral health clinics are now open, all operating under the agency’s new community behavioral health clinic program.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – 2025 is shaping up to be a transformative year for behavioral health in New Mexico. Not only are New Mexico state lawmakers promising to make serious investments in the system, but new community clinics are now accepting patients in several cities.
It sounds like more are coming and that’s the goal according to officials with New Mexico’s Health Care Authority. Five new behavioral health clinics are now open, all operating under the agency’s new community behavioral health clinic program.
The idea is to relocate all sorts of mental health and addiction treatment services under one roof, making it easier for New Mexicans to get help when they need it most.
“We can’t just criminalize behavior. There are certain times where folks need that additional support, and we need to kind of give them those resources for treatment,” said Nick Boukas, a Behavioral Health Services director with New Mexico Health Care Authority.
New Mexicans in Bernalillo County can now find that extra support inside a community behavioral health clinic nestled within the UNM Hospital campus. It’s a 16-room facility offering a full menu of behavioral health treatments for anyone who needs them.
“You can walk up regardless of your ability to pay. It’s open to everyone, and they will work with you and get you the services that you need,” said Boukas.
The UNM facility is one of five new community behavioral health clinics now open across the state. There are similar facilities in Carlsbad, Las Cruces, Santa Fe, and Farmington.
“Whether it’s for your child, whether it’s for your parent, whether it’s for yourself, and you need treatment for substance use, you need treatment for a behavioral health issue, or if you’re a veteran, you can go to that one place, and you’re going to get the resources that you need looking in one place, as opposed to having to go through the phone book and trying to figure out, how do I get this,” Boukas said.
New Mexico is one of 10 states to receive federal money to implement the community behavioral health clinic model.
Boukas says his department is already looking to expand this model to other New Mexico communities.
“We’re seeing other providers that are interested in doing this, because they realize that this is a program that not only do we believe in, but it’s also going to benefit them and the communities that they serve,” said Boukas.
Rebuilding New Mexico’s behavioral health system one clinic at a time.
“When we talk rebuilding, it’s a little bit of everything. We need to modernize the system. We need support for infrastructure, but we also need staffing to go into that,” Boukas said. “But then also in looking at the programs and saying what needs to be updated, what needs to be added, and how do we do that in a way so that we’re not going to overburden the system, but also make sure that the services that they’re getting are what people need.”
Rebuilding New Mexico’s behavioral health system is a major goal for New Mexico’s state lawmakers this year.
Legislative leaders confirmed there are significant investments already built into their state budget proposal.
“There is a very strong start and down payment when it comes to behavioral health, over $200 million addressing everything from behavioral health care professionals to housing to the linkages and many other components,” said state Rep. Nathan Small.
Legislative leaders say they’re assembling a package of behavioral health bills, and we’ll hopefully get a closer look at those proposals in the coming days.
LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
New Mexico
Republican governor candidate calls for eliminating New Mexico’s gross receipts tax on retail sales – New Mexico Political Report
Duke Rodriguez, a Republican candidate for New Mexico governor wants to eliminate the state’s gross receipts tax on retail sales entirely — and says the state can afford it right now. Rodriguez, a former state cabinet secretary and hospital executive, reiterated the idea during Friday’s Albuquerque Journal Republican gubernatorial debate, arguing the state’s surplus reserves of $3 to $4 billion cover the estimated $1.2 to $1.5 billion cost of elimination.
Rodriguez was careful to draw a distinction: his proposal targets only the state’s portion of the tax, leaving intact the local rates cities and counties levy to fund police, fire and other services. “It’s the state portion of New Mexico gross receipts tax,” Rodriguez said. “I still say cities and counties should have their local control.”
Fellow candidate Gregg Hull called the personal income tax the “lowest-hanging fruit” for reform but cautioned that eliminating the gross receipts tax required protecting municipal revenue streams that fund police and fire departments. Doug Turner, who is also running for the Republican nomination, didn’t put a specific number on the shortfall from GRT elimination, but said “that cost could be as much as two billion or three billion dollars that the state would have to come up with.”
Rodriguez pushed back against the estimate of a $2 billion shortfall, arguing that the actual $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion cost of his targeted tax cut is already covered by the state’s massive revenue windfall. “We have a surplus now that goes directly into our reserves closer to three to four billion,” Rodriguez explained, noting that the state could easily afford the elimination “before even talking about cutting services.” Instead, he argued the state is failing because it puts money “in the wrong places.” His proposed solution is to implement better accountability and demand better results from the money that is already being spent. He’s also initiated lawsuits to undo the universal childcare program, a new spending program he opposes.
Rodriguez’s plan is not without precedent. When the state legislature and Governor Bill Richardson eliminated the sales tax on groceries in 2005, they created a “hold harmless” payment to cities and counties paid from other state funds to make up for the lost sales tax revenue.
Vote in the June 2 Primary
Early voting is open now through May 30.
- Now through May 15 — Early voting and same-day registration available
- May 16–May 30 — Early voting and same-day registration expand to additional locations
- All early voting locations closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day
New this year: The June 2 primary is New Mexico’s first under a semi-open system. Voters with no party affiliation may choose a Republican or Democratic ballot at the polls without changing their registration.
Find early voting locations: NMVote.org
Find your county clerk: sos.nm.gov
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