SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL 26

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Mary Kay Papen

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE INTERAGENCY BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PURCHASING COLLABORATIVE TO DEVELOP A REGULAR REPORT OF INFORMATION REGARDING THE DELIVERY OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, in 2002, the Behavioral Health Needs and Gaps in New Mexico report found that the behavioral health system in New Mexico was fragmented, serving only nineteen percent of adults needing public sector mental health services; and

     WHEREAS, this report also estimated that in 2002, over four hundred thousand individuals, or twenty-two percent of the state's population, had a mental health disorder or substance abuse dependence; and

     WHEREAS, this report indicated that funding for mental health services in the state was inadequate to meet the behavioral health needs of its residents; and

     WHEREAS, as a result of these findings, House Bill 271 was introduced and passed during the 2004 legislative session to create the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative, and this bill was signed by the governor on May 19, 2004; and

     WHEREAS, the purpose of the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative is to develop a statewide system of behavioral health care that promotes behavioral health and well-being of children, individuals and families; to encourage a seamless system of care that is accessible and continuously available; and to emphasize prevention, early intervention, resiliency, recovery and rehabilitation; and

     WHEREAS, numerous audits and independent assessments have been conducted since the implementation of the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative by the legislative finance committee, the Lewin group, the New Mexico medical review association and Kinney associates that continue to find gaps in service delivery and fragmentation of behavioral health services in the state; and

     WHEREAS, according to a report by the Kaiser family foundation state health facts, New Mexico ranked last in the nation in per capita expenditures for mental health services in 2005; and

     WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2008, more than four hundred million dollars ($400,000,000) in mental health and substance abuse funds were managed by the single, statewide managed care entity; and

     WHEREAS, in fiscal year 2007, an estimated seventy-one thousand five hundred thirty-one unduplicated consumers were served; and

     WHEREAS, the interim legislative health and human services committee has heard testimony from behavioral health providers, consumers, family members and advocates, who have raised concerns about the lack of funding and the continued lack of adequate access to behavioral services in the state; and

     WHEREAS, it is the desire of the legislature that more people in need of behavioral health and substance abuse services receive those needed services, and that the delivery of those services be continually improved;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative be requested to develop and present a regular report of information regarding the delivery of behavioral health services in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the interagency behavioral health collaborative consult with service providers, care recipients and families of recipients in the creation of this report; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this report contain information regarding the number of people receiving services, the number and type of service requests that are denied, an estimate of the number of people with unmet needs, the timeliness of payments to providers, a breakdown of how the appropriated dollars are divided among the seventeen state agencies who are members of the collaborative, comparisons to prior years' experiences and projections for future years; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this report be presented to the interim legislative health and human services committee at least twice during each interim on an ongoing basis; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the director of the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative and to each of the member agencies represented on the interagency behavioral health purchasing collaborative.

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