State to explore and advance behavioral health workforce strategies 

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) announced today that New Mexico is one of five states selected to participate in the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) Behavioral Health Policy Academy. This initiative aims to advance state behavioral health policies and increase access to high-quality behavioral health services and supports. 

“We are honored to be selected to participate in the Behavioral Health Policy Academy,” said Nick Boukas, director of the Behavioral Health Services Division. “New Mexico will use this technical assistance to explore and advance new strategies that strengthen our provider workforce so we can better support the behavioral health needs in our state.”  

NASHP will work with leaders from the Health Care Authority, including the state’s Medicaid program, Behavioral Health Services Division, and the Division of Health Improvement, over the next two years, providing technical assistance support to identify, exchange, and implement cross-sector policy strategies, payment, delivery, and financing approaches.  

The Behavioral Health Policy Academy helps states share and learn best practices to implement workforce improvement strategies, including how to incorporate an unlicensed, skilled workforce (including training, certification, and career path opportunities), recruiting and retaining licensed workforce, developing new workforce types, administrative and regulatory simplification, data strategies to inform policy and program implementation, other approaches that increase the pipeline of qualified behavioral health professions.

###