Substance abuse summit in Taos looks at ‘bridging the gaps’
Substance abuse remains one of the most costly health problems in New Mexico, particularly in rural areas with scarce resources. Now a local organization in Taos is inviting government officials and the public to take part in a summit Friday (Sept. 21) to expand support for addicts in Taos County.
Recovery Friendly Taos and Inside Out Recovery have asked government officials at the local, county, state, tribal and federal level to participate in panel discussions from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Bataan Hall at the University of New Mexico-Taos campus on Civic Plaza Drive.
Booths will also be available for attendees seeking resources to treat addiction and other mental health conditions.
After last month’s closure of Tri-County Community Services, one of Taos County’s largest behavioral health providers, many have been forced to rethink how – and where – they receive the treatment they need.
Taos County community coordinator Steve Fuhlendorf said the agency’s closure served as the primary motivation to organize a summit that might help identify ways in which the county’s few remaining behavioral health organizations can band together to serve the community.
“We’re looking at how we can move forward from that and try to— rather than look at it as a blow to progress – see it as an opportunity to go forward and do better,” he said.
For years, Tri-County had provided medicine, therapy and transportation support to roughly 1,000 people in Taos County dealing with not only addiction, but a range of mental health challenges. The organization had played a critical role in supporting Taos County’s drug court program, which judges used to offer addicted offenders an alternative to incarceration when they met certain conditions.
Last year, Tri-County formed a partnership with Dr. Gina Perez-Baron, who introduced an opioid addiction treatment program that combined opioid-replacement medications, such as Suboxone, with one-on-one therapy with a clinician who sought to root out the cause of a patient’s addiction.
But in late August, many of Tri-County’s services were picked up by other behavioral health organizations in Taos, such as Valle de Sol. Nonviolence Works also took on four youth-and-family-focused
‘We’re trying to be proactive by looking ahead to how we can develop policy around behavioral health with a new administration.’
clinicians and their services.
A handful of other organizations are still in operation, but they are strained. Even before Tri-County’s closure, certain services seen as crucial in treating addiction, a detox center and residential, long-term treatment, were absent.
Fulhendorf said he hopes government officials will turn out for Friday’s event to seek solutions.
“I think a big part of this is knowing we will have a change of administration in Santa Fe (new governor),” he said. “We’re trying to be proactive by looking ahead to how we can develop policy around behavioral health with a new administration.”