LC7 Collaborative
Summary of NM Senate Bill 3
Purpose
SB3 aims to rebuild and modernize New Mexico’s behavioral health system by creating a regional, stakeholder-driven framework for planning, funding, and evaluating behavioral health services.
Key Features
1. Regional Behavioral Health Planning
- The state is divided into behavioral health regions.
- Each region identifies up to five priorities and develops a four-year plan.
- Sequential Intercept Resource Mapping is used to divert individuals from the criminal justice system into treatment.
2. Stakeholder Engagement
- Involves all three branches of government and stakeholders including courts, healthcare providers, tribal entities, local governments, and universities.
3. Behavioral Health Executive Committee
- Oversees regional planning and funding.
- Ensures accountability and oversight.
4. Service Standards & Evaluation
- The New Mexico Health Care Authority provides service standards and evaluation guidelines.
- These are used to approve regional plans.
5. Workforce Development
- Supports building a behavioral health workforce pipeline tailored to regional needs.
- Includes credentialing reforms and training initiatives.
6. Funding & Oversight
- SB3 is part of a trio of bills including SB1 (\$1 billion trust fund) and SB2 (\$200 million for services).
- Ensures equitable distribution of funds and requires quarterly reporting.
7. Sunsetting of Existing Structures
- The Behavioral Health Collaborative will be sunset on June 20, 2025.
Impact
SB3 is designed to improve access, coordination, and quality of behavioral health services, reduce reliance on the criminal justice system, and create a sustainable, accountable, and inclusive infrastructure.
LC7 Retreat Meeting on November 20
A message from Jackie Muncy
I am planning a LC7 meeting next Thursday. This is a very important meeting for all of us to attend. We will be discussing SB3 / BHRIA. There is some early funding that we need to consider putting in for. The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) announced on Nov. 4th the availability of early access funding for the most critical behavioral needs in your community. I have attached the NOFO for you all to review.
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At this meeting I would like for all county managers to present what they feel their role is within the SB3 and then I would like for Health Council Coordinators to talk about their role in SB3. It is important that we all come together and start looking at roles so that we can work together to start the process of utilizing this funding to support our counties / communities / judicial district. I will send out an agenda hopefully by the end of the week.
We will also need to create a stakeholders committee, we need about 4-5 individuals from each county to be a part of this team. So please be thinking about this so that you can bring them to the table as well. Also please share this email with any other state representative that you think should be at the table that I have not included in this email.
Please if you have any questions feel free to reach out to me at any time. I am here to support you all and through communication and collaboration we will begin to create change within our communities, counties, and all of the 7th Judicial District.