HSD Secretary Quits

Susana Martinez' administration gave no explanation for the post-election resignation of the head of the Human Services Department, Sidonie Squier, whose "leadership" the governor referred to as "valuable and important during all the health care changes going on in our country."

While HSD faced sharp scrutiny after accusing some of the state's largest behavioral health providers of "credible allegations of fraud" in billing Medicaid, refused to show the full audit that triggered that accusation and paid Arizona companies millions to replace them pending an investigation, Secretary 

 pointed a finger at Democratic Attorney General Gary King in her resignation letter released today. 

"And even though the behavioral health audits have been ignored by the attorney general," she wrote in the Nov. 5 letter, "if there is any justice in the world, I believe this administration did the right thing and that it will be proven as such."

The audit by a Boston-based company estimated the 15 providers of behavioral health care—which is aimed at treating diseases like addiction and depression—overbilled Medicaid by $36 million. King has cleared a few providers of the allegations and has said that investigating the rest will take years.

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 and Martinez pointed to HSD accomplishments but gave no reason for the sudden departure, first reported by the Santa Fe New Mexican. 

"We've dramatically expanded access to health care services for New Mexicans in need, and we're providing more behavioral health care services than at any point in history," Martinez said in a prepared statement, "all while working to safeguard the public dollar and stop the misuse of Medicaid money."

said the department expanded medical and behavioral health services without changing eligibility or cutting pay to providers of those services. 

"Being secretary of the Human Services Department has been the job of my dreams—the hardest job of my dreams, but the happiest time of my career," she wrote. "With the administration's support and the excellent employees at HSD, we have accomplished so much."

Her resignation takes effect Dec. 1.

Squier Letter Copy by justinhorwath

Santa Fe Reporter