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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Papen

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/24/2007

HB

SHORT TITLE NMSU Mental Health Improvement Program

SB 141

ANALYST McOlash

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$400.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates House Bill 112

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico State University – School of Nursing (NMSU-N)

Department of Health (DOH)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

Higher Education Department (HED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 141 appropriates $400,000 from the General Fund to the Board of Regents of NMSU

for expenditure in FY 2008 to educate psychiatric nurse parishioners and clinical nurse

specialists through the School of Nursling’s Mental Health Improvement Program.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $400,000 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the General Fund.

Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY shall revert to the

General Fund.

Senate Bill 141 – Page

2

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

NMSU-N Analysis

NMSU’s psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist program

has been funded since July 2004 through a $1.1 million federal grant. (Federal funding

ends 6/30/07)

a.

This grant (referred to as MIND) uses comprehensive distance education methods

to allow students from throughout the state (many from rural areas/underserved

areas) to become PMH NP/CNS while remaining in their home communities.

Research has consistently demonstrated the importance of this educational

approach for increasing health care access in rural and underserved areas.

b.

Currently, 29 MIND students are enrolled, 4 are projected to graduate in May

2007, and 19 are projected to graduate in May 2008. Over 40 applications have

been received for the next admission cycle which has an upcoming application

deadline of March 1, 2007

.

This request was not on the list of priority projects submitted by NMSU to the Higher Education

Department for review and was not included in the Department's funding recommendation for

FY08.

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

House Bill 112 is a duplicate.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

DOH Analysis

According to a July 15, 2002 report entitled, “Behavioral Health Needs and

Gaps in New Mexico," by the Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. and

Human Services Research Institute, “(a) large number of New Mexicans are

affected by mental illness/emotional disturbance and/or substance abuse or

dependence." The report further states the economic benefits of mental health

services; “For every dollar invested in mental health services, there is as much

as $10 saved in other social, governmental, and economic costs."

WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL

The scope of psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist track offered

by New Mexico State University and the number of students admitted and completing the

program will significantly decrease to the pre-grant level (5 students every other year) and the

psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner/clinical nurse specialist tract may be eliminated.

Senate Bill 141 – Page

3

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1.

Does NMSU, that did not request funding from the state for this program, expect the

continuation of federal funding or the availability of other funding to support this

program.

BM/csd