Taos’ behavioral health future
Behavioral and mental health care in Taos took a major and deeply felt hit in 2018, when one of the primary and longtime providers ended its operations.
Tri-County Community Services closed its doors with less than three weeks notice to staff and clients. Employees didn’t receive their final paychecks, the CEO up and left without a word, medical records were on lockdown, and the chaotic unknowns triggered crises for some patients. Other organizations, including Taos Behavioral Health (formerly known as Nonviolence Works) and Valle del
Sol, scrambled to ensure Tri-County clients and staff weren’t left blowing in the wind for too long. Around 50 community members gathered Aug. 28 during a meeting at the Taos County Commission Chambers (as shown in photo) regarding the cessation of Tri-County behavioral health services.
Others in the community — counselors and behavioral health professionals with private practices — did their part to share the client load, as well. They meet regularly to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
But Valle del Sol, which once before threatened to leave the state until prior Gov. Susana Martinez offered up some extra cash, said in December it might have to move operations south to Española. More recent discussions make it seem like they’ll stay, but as the last several years have shown, with issues like a shuttered detox center that’s still not reopened, even the best-intentioned plans can fall apart.