On Tuesday, the Dona Ana County Board of Commissioners learned more about a proposal to operate the Crisis Triage Center, with a targeted opening date of November. A work session will be held next Tuesday at 9 a.m. at the County building.
The Center was completed in 2013 to provide mental health evaluation of some people detained by law enforcement, but never opened for that purpose. It would not offer in-patient care, but it could accept referrals for mental health evaluation.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Phoenix, Arizona firm Recovery Innovations presented a business plan for the center.
The firm’s plan calls for the Center to operate 16 hours a day, seven days a week. It would be closed from 11pm to 7am.
The plan says the total operating expense for the initial twelve months is more than $2.5 million and the startup costs are projected to be almost $255,000.
The plan states that it expects the Center to cover its costs by the end of the second year of operation, assuming initial start-up costs are covered.
But that projected revenue breakdown is based on the assumption that 80% of admissions will have Medicaid coverage.
The plan says the other 20% of revenue will have to be generated from non-Medicaid payment sources, such as county indigent and state funds.
The plan projects the county will have to pay 10% of the operation cost, as well as providing startup funding.
At Tuesday’s meeting, a Las Cruces Police official said the department handled 1,500 mental health calls and took about 900 people into protective custody in 2019.
Tuesday's meeting included an agenda item that would have allowed the county manager to negotiate a contract to operate the center, but that item was not approved. Instead, the commission voted to hold a work session next Tuesday, June 30 at 9 a.m.