The Doña Ana County Board of County commissioners meeting saw a new Commissioner replacing Shannon Reynolds, who resigned last year.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham appointed Patricia S. Kimble to complete Reynolds term until the end of this year. In a statement Gov. Grisham said her “track record in collaborative problem-solving makes her the right choice to help the county navigate these opportunities and challenges.”
Commissioner Kimble promised to be accessible to her constituents.
“I just want to say thank you to everybody for the warm welcome. It’s been really great, I’m very pleased to be here. Thank you Commissioner Chaparro for watching over part of my district, when it's been a little bit neglected. And I promise to listen to you if you call me about an issue, I promise to listen and I am here for you,” Kimble said.
It seems Commissioner Susana Chaparro may have an ally after a vote to create a new county event and engagement manager position. She and Kimble both expressed concern, saying that existing positions need to be filled before creating new ones, both voted no.
The commissioners unanimously approved Opioid Settlement Fund contracts for La Clinica De Familia, Elite Methadone Clinic, and Summit Behavioral Health/Crisis Triage. The funds will be used to expand access to Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in bilingual and rural communities.
Health and Human services director, Jamie Michael gave the presentation; she discussed starting care for mothers and babies at risk of developing such a disorder.
“The intent is to look at prevention at the earliest time. We're trying to go as far upstream as we can which is pre-natal and the time of birth. So the prevention piece is for the babies the treatment piece is for the moms,” Michael said.
The contracts will amount to around $2.1 million.
