http://youtu.be/CRWIegJh6cM
La Frontera recently announced that they will no longer be providing mental health services in New Mexico. La Clinica de Familia is planning on taking over the services they provide, but many had questions about the transition. Dona Ana County held a meeting with community members and officials from around the state to learn more about the transition.
Ron Gurley, President of the National Alliance for Mental Illness in Dona Ana County, says mental health services are at a crisis point in Southern New Mexico.
“The demand keeps increasing,” Gurley said. “The resources keep decreasing, and I think finally just as an end result to this we are able to get one of the federal clinics who have infrastructure already in place, who are not for profit. I think we’ve got a chance to make real progress. We’ve got pieces that some others don’t have, but if we can connect all of those pieces we are going to be in good shape.”
La Clinica de Familia has not operated mental health services before, CEO, Suzan Martinez de Gonzales, says they are confident they will be able to provide the necessary services by keeping on the staff from La Frontera. She says they are working closely with the agency to help ensure a smooth transition.
“Did we learn anything from the last one,” Martinez de Gonzales said. “Yes, we want to make sure the clients files are where they are, and that they know that they have access to them. The clients have to know where they are going for their services. There can’t be a lot of questions we have to really make sure this transition goes smoothly, and again it’s totally dependent on staff. If the staff moves with their clients that’s going to help the transition so much.”
Dona Ana County Commissioner Wayne Hancock helped organize a meeting of all interested parties to make sure that everyone’s concerns were heard and could be addressed.
“I know a lot of the questions I received are about records being lost,” Hancock said. “People having to fill things out over again, computer systems that connect to each other, are we dropping off some of the services? There have been a lot of services that have went by the wayside here in the last couple of years, and as you heard we think that those services should be brought back up, the levels brought back up to meet the community’s needs.
Martinez de Gonzales says they hope to do just that.
“We’re going to be looking at what the services were that they inherited in the first place,” Martinez de Gonzales said. “And seeing if we can be funded at a similar level, so that we can start bringing the services back to the community.”
She says that La Frontera has been helpful during this transition process.
“This process has been coming along,” Martinez de Gonzales said. “And I think that the cooperation with the agency is really needed. Not only with the staff, but especially with the patients and the clients that we are going to be bringing over and they have been totally cooperative.”
Many expressed support of La Clinica de Familia taking over these services during the meeting, because they are a trusted local organization. New Mexico State Senator Mary Kay Papen says she thinks this will help them to succeed.
“It’s been a very difficult transition that went from the providers to the new providers,” Papen said. “So, I’m very anxious that this go around that we will be going with a new provider, La Clinica, who has a proven track record in our community dealing with our people that they will be able to handle these services, and step up to the plate and do that.”
Martinez de Gonzales also says that being a local organization will help them to succeed in taking over these services.
“We have been in the community since 1978,” Martinez de Gonzales said. “This is our home, we’re not going anywhere, you know where to find us. Our board and the management at La Clinica are totally committed to bringing these services on, mainly so we can have a continuity of care for our clients. A number of the clients that La Frontera has are La Clinica de Familia’s patients already.”
La Frontera agreed to stay in Las Cruces and Anthony until La Clinica de Familia can take over, the transition date is set for July 31st.
