Photos and article by Lynn Janes

On December 7, 2023, the Center for Health Innovation and Public Health Institute (CHI-PHI) held a community conversation about mental health in Grant County. Dr. Stacy Cox, CEO CHI-PHI, opened the meeting and explained what the organization has been doing in Grant County.

The organization has been conducting a survey on what the community of Grant County needs, the resources they have available and what could be done better. At the time of this meeting, they had 774 responses to the survey that could be done online, 36 key informant interviews and various focus groups. The cumulative information received with those, and this meeting will be shared in January 2024.

They have been compiling information with the help of the community to identify relationships, connections and working together to problem solve the counties issues. This has included what has been working and what is not.

Ten years ago, many facilities in rural New Mexico had been closed and now they will be working to rebuild that infrastructure and work to solve the problems of understaffed facilities. Cox said at this time people must drive 3-6 hours for behavioral health care. "We have too many gaps in services." The mission of the organization has been to work with communities to advance health and social justice. Cox went over some of the challenges the community has been facing with mental health care. One of the problems faced by New Mexico has been providers come but don't stay. She brought up the effects of trauma and lack of training in that area with practitioners. "Trauma can go back to the womb and can't be talked out." The traumas transfer into physical problems.

Cox went over the upcoming plans for the area such as a crisis response team. Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) has been spearheading this program Cox commented that the recent town hall meetings and various other meetings and groups that have come together to address this issue have been the biggest strength.

Lilly Irvin Vitela, EPSCoR led the attendees in choosing a group to break out into to discuss specific topics and possible solutions. Some of the discussion areas had to do with what we can do to keep ourselves and each other emotionally and mentally healthy, what do our families and communities need concerning emotional or mental health challenges, the best strategies for response to these, and how to support those needs. After the groups talked, each table had someone come forward to report an aspect of their conversation to the whole group. Vitela then had them break up into new groups to address another issue and come up with ideas to solve that area.

The groups came up with many good ideas that encompassed not only the people in need but the first responders to those people. They pointed out the importance of everyone making those connections to help people. If people's basic needs have not been met it will be a source for problems with mental health and everyone must have part in that support. It also came up "It is ok to not be ok."

They had the discussion of ongoing care and people that fall through the cracks for whatever reason. Those weak links need to be identified to stop that from happening.

The group discussed the mobile response team that currently is being looked to provide services in the community that would help more people.

The idea of starting with the schools to teach mindfulness as a skill came up with one of the groups to help students. Many other ideas came up in the groups.

Vitela spoke about what could be accomplished in three years and how some would take longer and as much as ten years and beyond.

A number of providers attended the meeting and had information and resources about their services. New Mexico Legal Aid, New Mexico Recovery Coalition, Zia Recovery Center (Las Cruces), Angels with Broken Wings (Las Cruces), Alcoholics Anonymous, New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services, Veterans Crisis Line and New Mexico Aging and Disability Resource Center.

Cox closed out the meeting and encouraged people to go to the website and post any other ideas they had that maybe they didn't want to discuss or thought of later. The QR code will take you to the survey.

To pause the slide show, mouse over the image.