Bernalillo County and the University of New Mexico (UNM) Hospital are forming a partnership to provide medical and behavioral health resources to inmates at the county’s Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC).
The initial steps of the partnership include a campaign by UNM Hospital to recruit and retain qualified personnel to provide medical and behavioral health services at MDC.
“I can’t say enough about how much this collaboration is needed for our community, given the fact that UNM Hospital already serves MDC inmates who require hospitalization,” Bernalillo County Manager Julie Morgas Baca told BernCo.gov. “Additionally, we believe this partnership, with a local leader in health care, will be a huge step forward in addressing a community health crisis brought on by fentanyl and its rapid and detrimental effects on arrested individuals detoxing at MDC.”
The county’s contract with the current MDC health care provider, YesCare, expires on July 25. MDC and UNM Hospital have already established a committee to create guidelines and objectives to prevent a lapse in inmates' medical and behavioral health services.
“We’re committed to establishing a partnership with Bernalillo County to help provide these important services,” Kate Becker, CEO of UNM Hospital, told BernCo.gov. “Providing comprehensive and compassionate health care to all New Mexicans is UNM Hospital’s most important mission. This partnership is certainly an extension of that core commitment.”
The partnership between MDC and UNM Hospital is a natural fit, as the two are already working together on a new Behavioral Health Crisis Center to meet the serious need for additional mental health services in the county. According to UNM Health Services Newsroom, Becker said the 48,699-square-foot facility set to open in 2024 would bridge a gap in levels of care for behavioral health patients in the Albuquerque area.
“Right now, we have many people who do not meet inpatient admission criteria,” Becker said, according to UNM Health Services Newsroom. “The Behavioral Health Crisis Center will help patients who are not acute enough to be in the hospital, but still need more support than just regular outpatient care.”