Morning Word: Behavioral Health Care Upended Again

La Frontera plans to exit New Mexico

No

one knows exactly when a second Arizona-based behavioral health services company will head to the exits, but patient services and employee paychecks could be interrupted if a replacement isn't found quickly. That, plus why won't top cops answer simple questions?

La Frontera, a Medicaid-funded behavioral health provider based in Arizona, has confirmed it will pull out of New Mexico. It's the second Arizona-based provider to leave the state after a shake-up by Gov. Susana Martinez' administration in mid-2013. It’s not clear when they’ll leave or how it will impact patient care.

Read it at the Las Cruces Sun-News.  Unlike in Santa Fe County, officials in Taos appear to be backing away from their plans to ban the sale of alcohol in 8-ounce containers, especially now that Santa Fe faces threats of a lawsuit by liquor retailers upset with the new ban in the Capital City. Andrew Oxford has more at the Taos News.  If you’ve always wanted to register or update your voter registration online, you’ll get the chance sooner than later.

Steve Terrell has more.  Gov. Martinez has signed a new 22-year gambling compact that requires tribes in New Mexico to provide regular compliance reports to state regulators.

Read it at the Los Alamos Daily Post.  A biofuels plant project being planned to operate near Jal could get a boost from a new oil and gas rule approved by the New Mexico Oil Conservation Commission. The rule could lead to producers using 100 percent recycled water instead of continuing to dip into fresh-water aquifers. The Associated Press has details.  The Public Service Company of New Mexico, with funding by Nissan, is setting up five new electric vehicle charging stations, including a few new ones in Santa Fe. Read more at Albuquerque Business First. State District Judge Donna Mowrer has ordered Roosevelt County Detention Center to change its policy that only allows attorney contact with inmates between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and requires 24-hour notice. Mowrer says that policy is “an unconstitutional infringement on the detainees’ rights.” Read it at the Portales News-Tribune.  Magistrate court employees could be facing furloughs after the governor vetoed $750,000 in critical supplemental funding. Phaedra Haywood has the complicated budget story.  Haywood also has news about plans by a publicly traded Canadian-based marijuana edibles company to enter the Santa Fe market if they can get state regulators to approve its acquisition of local dispensary Sacred Garden's management company. Read more online.  There's been a lot of news about police shootings in South Carolina and Oklahoma in the last week. Now we're hearing that the Albuquerque Police Department has put two of their own officers on paid leave. They’re being investigated by New Mexico State Police, the US Department of Justice and the FBI after another APD employee raised concerns about possible use-of-force violations. We don’t know much, because command staff won't answer reporters' questions. Instead, they posted a

KRQE's Tina Jenson has more.  New Mexico State Police have arrested a Clayton police officer and charged him with false imprisonment and aggravated assault. Again, not much info is being released on this case. Read it at KOB. More police officers are wearing body cameras in Las Cruces, and some people in the community feel like it’s worth the cost of the gear. Now, Deputy Police Chief Justin Dunivan says he’ll consider adding dash cameras in patrol cars when the money is available. Read it at the Las Cruces Sun-News.  Last week, we told you that Santa Fe High School junior track star Akeisha Ayanniyi was having a record-setting year. Yesterday was no different. She bested a UNM meet record with a 19’ 2” long jump and was the first to cross the finish line with a speedy 100-meter dash.

Read more about Akeisha at the New Mexican. 

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