Families and Youth Innovations Plus (FYI+) in Las Cruces is the state’s first Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), as classified by the federal government’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. On Monday, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich visited with FYI+ leadership regarding expansion of the nonprofit through federal funding initiatives.
During his Las Cruces visit, Senator Heinrich praised the work of FYI+, and said he would use his position on the Senate Appropriations Committee to help facilitate building more behavioral health infrastructure in the state.
“I think the most important thing is the stability of the funding. And so whether that’s through a state agency or whether it’s through a private partnership, finding the capacity in the community and then just making sure that it’s resourced is the way to create enough certainty that we’re not rebuilding and then losing the capacity. We need to be in this for the long run and to make it really predictable,” Heinrich said.
In 2022, FYI+ secured a $450,000 federal grant to begin their development into a certified CCBHC, and New Mexico has since been added to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ expansion of the (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program, allowing for more funding for access to services, according to the department.
The CCBHC healthcare model is defined by the availability of 24/7 crisis care, comprehensive mental health services, and coordination services to help patients navigate the healthcare landscape.
Tenika Sosa-Gonzalez, Director of Community Solutions and Impact at FYI+, said that the expansion of resources is essential in meeting the needs of the community, which is lacking in behavioral health services.
“To be able to have 24/7 crisis care across the lifespan is something that we’re going to have to learn to build in this community,” Sosa-Gonzalez said. “There is often not enough funding to do things that aren’t direct billable services. So, to have that support, to be able to build infrastructure, to build care providers and to care for our community is incredibly validating. And it’s so helpful to support our community in general.”
As FYI+ continues to expand its services, stakeholders hope that federal support will create robust behavioral health infrastructure that helps meet the needs of the community.
