WORKING ON BETTER CARE
BernCo’s CARE Campus will get a $5 million, 2,200 square-foot expansion.
Construction is expected to begin in the next two weeks on a $5 million expansion of the Bernalillo County CARE Campus, which serves people with addictions and mental health issues, Evan Gonzales, spokesman for the county’s Department of Behavioral Health Services said Friday.
The 2,200 square-foot expansion of the Comprehensive Assessment and Resiliency through Excellence, or CARE campus, will house services for detox, behavioral health observation and assessment, outpatient health clinic, 24-hour intake, and a peer-run living room program, Gonzales said.
Other renovations and additions that are part of the project designed by Studio Southwest Architects include new office space for administrators and clinicians, and a large multiple-purpose lecture hall for conferences and training.
The expansion and renovations are expected to be completed in October 2021.
“Over the past five years, we have built an inclusive behavioral health system, launching more than 13 programs dedicated to providing a wide range of services from crisis situations to peer-supports,” said County Manager Julie Morgas Baca. “We are well on our way to creating a behavioral health system that meets people’s need and surrounds them with proven programs, giving them the best chance at recovery and resilience.”
The CARE Campus currently serves about 11,000 clients each year, and the expansion will increase the capacity of service to no less than 14,000 clients yearly, Gonzales said.
The Care Campus is located in a 70,000 square foot renovated building at 5901 Zuni SE that was formerly called the Metropolitan Assessment and Treatment Services center, or MATS. The building housed a voluntary detox center for adults, a public inebriate intervention program and a supportive after-care residential program.
Those services, which include on-site residential sober-living apartments, continue under the CARE Campus name.