Clovis officials to get behavioral health facility update

This Monday afternoon, Initium Health will be meeting with Clovis city officials for an update on the proposed Regional Behavioral Health Facility.

The agenda for the meeting, set for noon to 2:30 p.m. at the Clovis Civic Center, calls for updates regarding a “Phase 1 crisis triage center overview,” “financial projections and funding resources” and a wrapup discussion. 

Kate Bailey, a member of Initium Health, said the center, set to be located on West 21st Street south of Plains Regional Medical Center, has no scheduled completion date. 

“The land was secured and now once we get the design filled, the architects and the contractors essentially placed, then we’ll get a much better idea of the timeline,” Bailey said.

Clovis City Manager Justin Howalt said 18 acres of land have been purchased.

Secured funding includes $10 million through capital outlay from the New Mexico Legislature. “The services and stuff will mostly be reimbursed by Medicaid,” Bailey said.

The purpose of the Regional Behavioral Health Center is to offer citizens within the four-county area a place for mental health treatment. The closest behavioral health centers today are either in Amarillo, Lubbock or Albuquerque. Some drive to Las Cruces.

Being so far away can create a multitude of difficulties for those seeking treatment, according to Bailey and Claire Burroughes, Clovis’ assistant city manager. 

First, it heightens feelings of isolation due to not being near their home. Isolation is typically seen as a detriment to mental health. Moreover, because it’s so far away, family members and friends of patients can’t visit regularly. If they do visit, however, then they’re prone to racking up high traveling costs. 

“Currently we don’t have a facility in our region,” Howalt said. “We’re also working with Cannon Air Force Base and our service members go down to even Abilene (Texas) for services.”

Furthermore, by putting a behavioral health facility in Clovis, those who are mentally ill and seem potentially dangerous to themselves or others, can get their treatment there instead of being sent to jail. 

“This is also a great avenue and requires a different approach to how the mental health crisis is handled,” Bailey said.

“We are going to work closely with law enforcement partners to make sure there’s a great understanding of who can be served at a crisis triage center.”

Bailey said “There will be two different services. One will be what we call ‘observation care.’ In the medical world that is up to 24 hours … some people that’s all that they need in that facility and there’s a great plan they can follow. There will also be a service for up to 14 days. That 14 days is the limit.”

Bailey also said people with no health insurance can get treatment. The funding for that would come from the Falling Colors program, a foundation that promotes “the social determinants of health,” according to its website.

According to Bailey, the total number of staff at the facility is projected at “45-50 once it is running at capacity …” As for patient to staff ratio, she said “it varies by service and type of staff, but can be as low as 4:1 for peer support workers and up to 16:1 for clinical providers” such as psychiatric nurse practitioners. 

“For so long there have not been good systems set in place for emergency mental health care and it’s caused a lot of suffering. People spend hours to days in emergency rooms at hospitals not receiving treatment,” Bailey said. “I feel very motivated. There’s a great collaborative environment.”