Weekly Word: Trip Jennings on Behavioral Health Crisis

This week on the Weekly Word podcast, New Mexico in Depth's Trip Jennings explains the behavioral health crisis that's been in the headlines since late June.

In a nutshell, the state pulled funding for 15 New Mexico behavioral health providers that serve 30,000 patients amid allegations of fraud (for a brief, informative backgrounder, click here). The state has refused to publicly release the audit that found the alleged fraud, however, leading to plenty of criticism of the Martinez administration's handling of the situation. Several organizations, including the New Mexico Foundation for Open Government, have called on the administration to release the full audit.

Last week, Jennings penned an "Open Letter to Gov. Martinez" addressing the administration's unwillingness to publicly disclose the audit. We discuss his open letter, as well as the NMID's coverage of the behavioral health issue.

Jennings explains the inconsistent public statements between the state and the behavioral health providers. He also speaks about the journalistic goals behind NMID, which has partnered with several New Mexico media outlets, including SFR.

For more on NMID's behavioral health coverage, click here.

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Santa Fe Reporter