News

Building a behavioral health system to promote a safer and healthier community in New Mexico

June 13, 2024

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation is a proud partner of the Local Collaborative 3 (LC3) to improve the mental health and substance use systems of care in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, through action teams working on specific policy, programs, and practice improvements to achieve an ideal behavioral health system of care.

Recently, the LC3 invited New Mexico mental health providers, state and local officials, law enforcement, fire department, local schools and colleges, nonprofit organizations, and community advocates to a two-day “Strategic Reboot” event at the Community Foundation of Southern New Mexico. Participants reviewed the results from the most recent community needs assessment, captured new energy and ideas, and supported existing strategies and interventions to make purposeful progress in closing systemic service gaps. Areas of focus included youth services, legislative and sustainable funding, supportive and specialty services, crisis services, housing services, and care coordination. “The overarching goal for this event was to build collaboration to achieve a behavioral health system that is inclusive, organized, and centered on the individual and family,” said Javier Guerrero, LC3, ICS Community Coordinator. “LC3 is unwavering in its commitment to advocate for and provide comprehensive mental health and substance use disorder services for people across Doña Ana County, New Mexico.” The LC3 Behavioral Health Collaborative is a collective impact initiative to build an ideal behavioral health system of care for individuals, families, and youth. These efforts are supported by the Health Foundation’s Behavioral Health Consortium Initiative. The backbone agency of LC3 is Families and Youth Innovations Plus (FYI+), a respected nonprofit serving Doña Ana County and the surrounding communities for over 40 years with a mission to “promote a safer and healthier community by focusing on family and children.”

For more information on LC3, click here or visit the Health Foundation’s Behavioral Health Consortium Initiative at pdnhf.org.