New Mexico Mercury

A new video gives a voice to those affected by the state's behavioral health audit which has shuttered the majority of New Mexican providers, seen their jobs outsourced to Arizona-based operations and caused what appears to be widespread disruption of services.

The video is titled, Breaking Bonds: The Shutdown of New Mexico's Behavioral Health Providers and is being distributed by an organization called Save Behavioral Health NM. The video is broken into six sections:

• The Audit
• The Law
• Community Impact
• The Providers
• Families and Clients
• The Bum Rush

The video gives an account of the now infamous audit from the perspective of those directly affected.  State representatives, former CEO's, provider staff and family members of those receiving behavioral health services offer their views on the audit, what they think is happening behind the scenes and why it could and should of been handled in a more judicious and ethical manner.

Some of the main takeaways are:

• The lack of due process after the audit findings
• The appearance of pre-meditation in regards to contact with Arizona companies even before the audit
• The lack of accountability being applied to OptumHealth who overseas the billing for the providers
• The reason for using an outside, private auditing firm with a questionable track record as opposed to the state auditor
• Speculation that local, non-profit providers are being cleared out before the commencement of Centennial Care, which will result in more profit for the large, for-profit providers who will now be granted contracts for those services

Appearing in the video in order of appearance:

• Jerry Ortiz y Pino: NM State Senator who's been involved with New Mexico's behavioral health system for decades
• Mary Jo Archer: Former CEO of Hogares, Inc., one of the providers targeted for what she labels "hostile takeover."
• Patsy Romero: Former CEO of Easter Seals/El Mirador, one of the providers targeted in the audit.
• Antonio "Moe" Maestas: NM State Representative.
• Krista Scorsone: Former Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner with Southwest Counseling Center, one of the providers targeted in the audit.
• Cathleen Willging, Ph.D: Works for the Behvior Health Research Center of the Southwest.
• Connie Chavez: Legal Guardian of two grandchildren receiving services from what was formerly known as Hogares, Inc.
• Bill O'Neill: NM State Senator who's been involved with New Mexico's behavioral health system for twenty years.
• Mauro Montoya: Behavioral health activist who's been intimately affected by the transition of service providers.