Health Center shooting for 2026 opening

While a Regional Behavioral Health Center won’t go live until at least November 2026, updates regarding its operations were given last week at the Clovis Civic Center.

With no crisis care facilities locally, it’ll provide people needing immediate treatment, for days or weeks, with a closer, cheaper and more comfortable option, proponents contend.  

The information session was led by James Corbett, a longtime behavioral health advocate and principal with Initium Health, the Denver healthcare consulting firm that’s supporting the project, and Brian Ferrans, who advises courts and emergency responders in Colorado on serving people with mental health and substance use issues. Audience members learned about how the center plans to develop a workforce, benefit Curry, Roosevelt, De Baca, Quay, and Union counties and be funded. 

Corbett began the session by sharing how the necessity for it became apparent following the 2017 mass shooting at the Clovis-Carver Public Library. It was carried out by teenager Nathaniel Jouett. The 16-year-old, who killed two people and injured four, was believed to be adrift with severe mental turmoil. If he had access to a place like the incoming behavioral health facility, which provides stays up to 14 days, some believe the tragedy may have been prevented.

“It’s easy to think of these problems happening in big cities and outside of your community,” Corbett said of the 18-acre proposed site located at West 21st Street near Plains Regional Medical Center. “But these problems are right here in your community, and this type of facility is put in place for … people who are in crisis, so they don’t continue to cycle on streets, so they don’t continue to cycle into our emergency room departments and into our prisons and instead get the care they need so they can be rehabilitated and brought back into society.”

Developing workforce

To operate the facility, which would house up to 50 area residents at a time, the center must build a robust staff. It plans to do this via a worker pipeline with local schools. 

A powerpoint slide labeled “Workforce Development: Eastern New Mexico University” outlined the following:

• Expanded paid local internship opportunities for Bachelor of Social Work Students

• Masters in Social Work Degree Program launches Fall 2024

• Collaboration with Clovis Community College for Behavioral Science student pathway

“Other aspects of this partnership is the new course Introduction to Social Work and Human Services. We’re launching new paid local internship opportunities for behavioral science students,” Corbett said. 

He added that, “Clovis Community College and ENMU have been at the table with us. We meet once a month, going on three years now, and the fact that we met together meant that this program could be developed.”

He hopes to increase it over time and added that the workforce model is different compared to hospitals.

“It’ll be a lot more social workers, peer recovery specialists, nurses, and then, obviously, psychiatrists. But the medical model is not the lead here. It’s more of a collaboration model, and it’s led by nurses and social workers,” Corbett said. 

Providing care

With the nearest similar facilities in Albuquerque, Amarillo, Lubbock, and Las Cruces, a burden is placed on patients. Seeking treatment requires them to leave their communities, leading to more stress and isolation. Some see the distance and decide it isn’t feasible. Furthermore, it’s difficult for their support systems because the travel is cumbersome and pricey. 

“The 1000s of hours that we lose on travel for our command teams, for our patients, for non-medical attendees, and the cost to have our individuals go, oftentimes, to Texas, to Arizona, sometimes we have facilities driving to pick up our patients, so they’re driving five hours to pick someone up and then drive back,” said Maj. Rachel Wiley, a mental health flight commander at Cannon Air Force Base. 

As a result, when people turn to local places for help, they may not get the help they need. 

“The former president of Clovis Community College tells a story of a nursing student who had some mental health challenges, and they said, ‘We need to go get help,’” Corbett recalled. But when the president saw her shortly after, he was confused. 

“‘I sat in the ER overnight. They discharged me, so I guess I’m OK,” the student told him, according to Corbett. 

“There wasn’t a facility … to go. She needed a place to be able to get the care she needs,” Corbett said. 

Corbett said one of the most important features is a 2023 legislative change for Crisis Triage Centers that allows stays up to 14 days.

“This state passed a law that no one else in the country has passed,” Corbett said.

This provides patients with time to find stability and potential next steps. 

“In a 14-day period and a 23-hour period, you really have to get those folks connected or reconnected to outpatient services, ancillary services, primary care services, in order to treat the whole person,” he later said. 

By adding the behavioral health facility, it also alleviates stress placed on hospitals and the police department. 

“Having this program come into the community is going to take a lift off of the jail, and that’s what we serve right now. So it’s tough. It’s strenuous on the staff,” said Mark Gallegos, jail administrator for the Curry County Detention Center. 

Financial

According to the presentation, the estimated cost of the building is $8.5 million, the land cost is $425,000 and there are $10 million in capital outlay funds available.

Another slide projected that by Year 2, 80% will be funded by Medicaid, 10% will be funded by an uncompensated pool and 5% will be funded by commercial and Medicare. 

The group hopes to begin construction next September, complete it by September of 2026 and unveil it a month or two later. 

“More and more eastern New Mexicans will be able to reach their full potential,” Clovis Mayor Mike Morris said.