NM Delegation Announces $6 Million to Combat New Mexico’s Opioid Crisis

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representatives Ben Ray Luján, Deb Haaland and Xochitl Torres Small announced that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded more than $6 million in funding to New Mexico to combat the opioid epidemic in communities across the state. The funding will go toward treatment, prevention, recovery, and research efforts throughout New Mexico.

A breakdown of the HRSA awards is below: 

• $2,505,000 for 15 health centers throughout the state through the Integrated Behavioral Health Services program.  
• $2,000,000 for the County of Rio Arriba and El Centro Family Health in Española, NM through the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.
• $1,347,620 for New Mexico State University to enhance community-based training for students preparing to become behavioral health professionals focused on opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders.
• $304,560 for New Mexico State University to plan, develop, operate, or maintain graduate programs in behavioral health practice to train psychologists to work with underserved populations through the Graduate Psychology Education (GPE) Program.

“New Mexico has been among the hardest hit by an opioid epidemic that is taking lives, devastating families and upending communities. But these major funding awards will help communities all across our state continue to fight back against this tragic and crushing public health crisis,” Udall said. “Taken together, the more than $6 million in funding we are announcing today will help fund the comprehensive, multi-faceted approach we need to combat opioid abuse – including treatment, prevention, and recovery. As a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I’ll keep fighting for the resources New Mexico communities need to overcome this epidemic once and for all.”

“Too many families in New Mexico have lost loved ones to the opioid epidemic and many more are struggling to find treatment and recovery resources. We know that evidence-based treatment works, but it is only possible when we fully fund treatment, prevention, and recovery efforts, particularly in our underserved rural and tribal communities. I’m proud to welcome this much-needed federal funding and I will keep doing everything I can to fight for the resources and policies we need to ensure every New Mexican who needs it can find addiction treatment services and lifesaving care,” said Heinrich.

“New Mexico is experiencing one of the highest drug overdose rates in the nation, and the need to address the opioid crisis cannot be understated when we continue to lose our loved ones. I am proud to see these substantial investments in our opioid treatment infrastructure – and we should be investing millions more to save lives and turn the page toward meaningful progress. Addressing the opioid crisis continues to be a majority priority for me in Congress, and I’ll keep fighting for future investments and meaningful solutions,” said Luján.

“Any person struggling with addiction should have access to get help when they need it, but right now the resources in the state are overwhelmed. As someone who has struggled with addiction, I know that having a good support network is key to staying sober. This grant funding will ensure more New Mexicans have access to the help they need to overcome addiction so our families can thrive,” said Haaland.

“The pain caused by the opioid epidemic continues to impact families across the country, with rural and tribal communities like those in southern New Mexico hit the hardest. These latest grants leverage NMSU-Las Cruces’ expertise in behavioral health to train the next generation of practitioners and expand access to local residents struggling with addiction. I will continue to fight to expand local treatment, recovery and prevention efforts, so that anyone in need of rehabilitation can receive high-quality care close to where they call home,” said Torres Small.