New Mexico Mercury

Let me start by calling the Governor a liar. A few days ago in an article on the status of mental health services here in Las Cruces, she said that some CEO's of the mental health facilities were getting a salary of 1.5 million dollars a year. At no time have any of these CEO's in New Mexico come close to making that type of salary. The number is deceitful, doesn't apply to any CEO salary and surfaced in reference to multiple individuals at an agency based in Santa Fe -- not any one person. It had nothing to do with any organization in the southern part of the state but the Governor repeats the number because it elicits outrage, as it should. If it were true. But, it's not true and even if it were true it would not be fraud. The Governor knows that it is not true and knows that this is not fraud but still continues to deceitfully repeat the number in rural New Mexico to elicit more outrage. The outrage should be directed at the fact that new CEO's brought in from Arizona are getting paid more than 6 times the amount that most of the New Mexico CEO's were getting paid before the take-over of all mental health services. These salaries are not coming out of Medicaid. They come from general fund dollars so New Mexico taxpayers are now paying these huge salaries to Arizona organizations. In addition, New Mexico mental health agencies that were not audited and, therefore, are not alleged to have committed fraud were not allowed to take over any of the organizations that were de-funded. Why? Is no one from New Mexico good enough? Why is the Governor so enamored with Arizona? What will be turned over to Arizona next -- our hospital system or maybe our education system?

Every health care provider in the state should sit up and look at what is happening in the New Mexico mental health industry today. An allegation of fraud can come from something as simple as a few patients complaining that you over-billed. There may be no truth to it, but HSD without a word to anyone can make the decision that they are credible and your funding can be stopped. Once Medicaid funding stops then all others soon follow until you are cleared, which could take months if not years. No Governor should have the power that has recently been exercised. A due process of law would have prevented this from happening. Currently New Mexico has weak due process law in our constitution. Call your state legislator. We need a stronger and more detailed Due Process Law added to our State Constitution.

People do not need to believe in the innocence of Southwest Counseling Center, only believe in a process that allows for innocence before proven guilty, not the other way around. I often had meetings with all staff to clearly tell everyone that fraud was not in any way acceptable and if they knew of anything suspicious they should report it immediately. I want the investigation to happen ASAP because the longer this takes the more difficult it is to defend one's self because resources become depleted.

There was a dark time in our nation's history called McCarthyism. A person could have a finger pointed at them and be called a Communist. No real proof needed to be offered, just some vague allegation with a finger wagging in the air and suddenly that person's life could be ruined. They would lose their job and become ostracized from their social network. The new label is Medicaid Fraud. Point a finger and yell and people's lives can be totally ruined. Senator McCarthy would have been proud of what is happening in New Mexico today. Violating our civil liberties is how this dark time will be remembered in New Mexico history.