About the Collaborative

The Collaborative was created by Governor Bill Richardson and the New Mexico State Legislature during the 2004 Legislative Session.(State Statute) The Legislation allows several state agencies and resources involved in behavioral health prevention, treatment and recovery to work as one in an effort to improve mental health and substance abuse services in New Mexico. This cabinet-level group represents 15 state agencies and the Governor’s office.

New Mexico is in its sixth year of a ten year process to transform behavioral health services to adult, children, youth and families, driven by a focus on recovery and resiliency.

Collaborative Acting CEO, Diana McWilliams is responsible for turning the Collaborative’s vision into reality in the lives of New Mexicans.

More on Collaborative

The vision of the Collaborative is to be a single statewide behavioral health delivery system in which funds are managed effectively and efficiently and to create an environment in which the support of recovery and development of resiliency is expected, mental health is promoted, the adverse affects of substance abuse and mental illness are prevented or reduced, and behavioral health consumers are assisted in participating fully in the lives of their communities.

The Collaborative is charged with a number of responsibilities including:

• Inventorying all expenditures for mental health and substance abuse services;
• Creating a single behavioral health care and services delivery system that promotes mental health, emphasizes prevention, early intervention, resiliency, recovery and rehabilitation and funds are managed efficiently, and ensures availability of services throughout the State;
• Paying special attention to regional, cultural, rural, frontier, urban and border issues, and seeking and considering suggestions of Native Americans.
• Contracting with a single, Statewide services purchasing entity (SE); Monitoring service capacities and utilization in order to achieve desired performance measures and outcomes;
• Making decisions regarding funds, interdepartmental staff, grant writing and grants management;
• Comprehensive planning and meeting State and federal requirements;
• Overseeing systems of care, data management, performance and outcome indicators, rate setting, services definitions, considering consumer, family and citizen input, monitoring training, assuring that evidence-based practices receive priority, and providing oversight for fraud and abuse and licensing and certification.