PHOTOS: Heinrich, Stansbury Secure $4.2 Million To Develop First Medical Sobering Center In New Mexico, Meet With Local Officials To Discuss Community Impact

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) met with City of Albuquerque officials to discuss how over $4.2 million in direct federal investments that they secured is developing the Gateway Center at Gibson Health Hub, the first medical sobering center in New Mexico.

 

 

The Sobering Center is intended to divert individuals with low acuity intoxication from overcrowded emergency departments and jails to a safe place with medical monitoring to gain sobriety and to access treatment, housing, and other unmet needs.

 

“I have worked to steer federal resources to ensure the Gateway Center is successful so that we can provide critical resources to folks in our community to help them get their lives back on track,” said Heinrich. “This center will prove to be a real lifeline for people experiencing alcohol addiction and substance use disorders. By siting this Sobering Center within the Gateway Center, we can also connect folks to behavioral health, housing, and other critical support services.”

 

“We must make meaningful investments in our communities to tackle the biggest challenges we’re facing across New Mexico. That’s why I am proud to have secured federal funding to construct the first-of-its-kind Albuquerque Sobering Center as part of a wider $28 million we secured in Community Funded Projects for our District last Congress,” said Stansbury. “This facility will provide a safe place for individuals struggling with addiction to access treatment, housing, and other vital wrap-around services. I am grateful to work in partnership with leaders like Mayor Keller and Senator Heinrich to help provide comprehensive resources that holistically address our communities’ behavioral health and housing needs.”

 

“The Gateway will be a place of healing and hope for our most vulnerable community members,” said Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller. “I am grateful to our federal delegation for supporting this project and investing in the solutions to our toughest challenges.”