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

SPONSOR B. Sanchez

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

1/24/09

HB

SHORT TITLE UNM Behavioral Health Programs

SB 124

ANALYST Haug

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$145.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Relationship SB 93 and House Bill 225

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

University of New Mexico (UNM)

Human Services Department (HSD)

New Mexico Health Policy Commission (HPC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 124 appropriates $145.0 from the general fund to the Board of Regents of the

University of New Mexico for the University’s Health Sciences Center Behavioral Health

Programs statewide.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $145.0 contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any

unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2009 shall revert to the

general fund.

This request was submitted by UNM as a component of the Community Health proposal to the

New Mexico Higher Education Department for review, and is not included in the Department’s

funding recommendation for FY09.

Senate Bill 124 – Page

2

The HED’s evaluation table of FY09 Research and Public Service Projects provided to the LFC

classifies the Community Health project as a “would not oppose if funding available" project.

Reasons for this classification decision are not provided. (LFC Report 07-20, Higher Education

Department Review of Selected Research and Public Service Projects, January 12, 2008, Table

4, p75.)

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

UNM states:

Senate Bill 124 will partially support two positions from the Department of Psychiatry’s

Center for Rural and Community Behavioral Health (CRCBH) to liaison with the Office

of Community Health’s HERO Program. (Health Extension Rural Office) and provide

support to community based behavioral health and primary care programs.

The overall goal of the Health Extension Rural Offices (HEROs) is to assure quality

healthcare and effective responses to health-related needs throughout communities in

New Mexico. Community-based Health Extension Offices and Agents link communities

with HSC resources, and the HSC Office of Community Health is able to respond quickly

to community-identified health needs. NMSU’s Cooperative Extension Program

provides a basis for health extension development, and the NM DOH Health Councils

assist with development of community-based health priorities and requests.

In 2007, the CRCBH provided approximately 5200 hours of rural and community

behavioral health services, training, consultation statewide both directly and via

telehealth. CRCBH programs like the Rural Psychiatry & Behavioral Health Training

Program, Telepsychiatry & Behavioral Health Program, Behavioral Health Services

Research and Evaluation Program, Native American Behavioral Health Program, and

Program for Integration of Primary Care and Behavioral Health are built on partnerships

with communities, Native American tribes and pueblos, and private and public behavioral

health organizations. This opportunity to coordinate, train and consult with the Office of

Community Health and the local HERO’s will much more efficiently provide

programmatic development, workforce enhancement and improved access to services so

needed by our communities.

The funds provided in this bill will support the HERO-UNM program to contribute

programmatic and clinical staff to this statewide rural collaboration.

The HSD states that this appropriation request is not included in the Executive Budget requests

for any NM Interagency Behavioral Health Purchasing Collaborative (Collaborative) member

agencies. SB 124 does not specify how this appropriation would be used. Any behavioral health

services provided to Medicaid-eligible individuals would be eligible for federal match if all the

following criteria are met:

.

The service must be a benefit under the NM Medicaid State Plan;

.

The provider must be credentialed as a Medicaid provider as part of the ValueOptions

New Mexico provider network; and

.

The provider is providing services in accordance with his or her licensure.

Senate Bill 124 – Page

3

The HPC notes that the bill is not clear as to whether the funds appropriated in SB124 are

independent of or to be used in conjunction with the behavioral Health Collaborative. It is

unclear as to whether the UNMHSC receives other funding from Value Options.

According to the HPC, between one-fourth and one-third of New Mexicans who experience

behavioral health disorders will require public payment for their health care (Medicaid,

Medicare, Indian Health Service, and other sources of state and federal payment). Substance

abuse and addiction disorders constitute a significant problem for New Mexicans. The

Behavioral Health Needs and Gaps in New Mexico ( Gaps Analysis) Report completed in 2002

estimated that 500,000 New Mexicans have behavioral health disorders, and that the number of

people affected by each of those current or potential customers of behavioral health services is

many times higher than that.

(SOURCE: NM Health Policy Commission, 2008 Quick Facts)

RELATIONSHIP

Senate Bill 124 is related to Senate Bill 93 which would appropriate $1,800.0 for a

comprehensive rural health care outreach program, including health extension rural offices, to

address more effectively local health priorities.

Senate Bill 124 is related to House Bill 225 which requires the Human Services Department to

recruit and train quick response teams statewide for use with persons who are experiencing an

urgent need for behavioral health support.

GH/mt