Housing, wages affect local mental health care

May 15--CARLSBAD -- Competitive wages and cheaper housing were two of the items identified by the Mayor's Mental Health Task Force, that need attention in order to improve local mental health care.

The task force has been active since February, when it was formed to help deal with the aftermath of Carlsbad's main mental health provider, Turquoise Health and Wellness, pulling out of New Mexico.

The task force's goal is to identify what mental health services Carlsbad currently has and which services still need to be brought in to the city.

Task force Chairman Jeff Diamond compiled a list of "action items" to present to the City Council, that the mental health task force feels are top priorities.

The items included creating job security and higher pay for community mental health workers.

"When the name of the agency keeps changing, as it did three times in two years, they (community mental health care workers) worry about losing their seniority, pension rights, things like that," Diamond said. "The city just has to stay on top of it and make sure that these agencies prosper."

Having a full staff has been an issue faced by Golden Services, the local company that took over the inpatient substance abuse program, Villa de Esperanza, after Turquoise left New Mexico at the end of March.

Although the program is doing well and will graduate five this weekend, there are several openings in staffing positions.

"We have openings for RTAs, and we always need nurses, counselors, or have some other opening," said Carl Lieberwirth, who co-owns Golden Services with his wife, Tracy Lieberwirth.

Although the starting wages for the positions are in the $10 per hour range, which is well above minimum wage, the wages are still low compared with many entry-level oil field jobs.

"Starting wages in any field are lower (than the oil field)," Carl Lieberwirth said. "We can't compete with the oil field."

Housing was another item that Diamond identified to the council as keeping trained mental health workers in the area.

Carl Lieberwirth said that Golden Services typically hires locally, which helps because most of the people already live here and have a spouse with another job in the area.

"We haven't lost employees (because of housing)," he said. "We very rarely hire someone out of town."

Diamond recommended that the city of Carlsbad work with Eddy County to create subsidized low cost workforce housing, warning that otherwise vital mental health care services will remain in short supply.

Diamond also mentioned that law enforcement should prioritize the prevention of scams on the mentally impaired.

"Unfortunately, most families learn about the dementia or Alzheimer's or other disease of their loved ones after their life savings or nest eggs are wiped out by organized criminal activity, which fishes for victims through the mail or by telephone," Diamond's written report to the council said.

Diamond ended by recommending that the mayor also form a health care task force to prevent the same instability from hitting the community should anything happen to its main medical provider.

The task force also identified long-term goals, such as bringing a long-term substance abuse treatment program to Carlsbad, and reviving the Crossroads Treatment Program, which offered long-term substance abuse treatment to women and their dependent children.

A grant has also been submitted to hire staff to train those in school or recently out of school in mental health first aid. The program is designed to help prevent suicide, bullying and the appeal of gang membership.

City Councilor Sandra Nunley, who is also a member of the task force, said that it is a bit too soon for the City Council to have plans in the works to address many of these issues.

"Most of this is going to need to come from the state level down," Nunley said.

Nunley said state Reps. Jim Townsend, R-District 54, and Cathrynn Brown, R-District 55, have both been involved in help keeping services in Southeastern New Mexico.

But the city will be ready to do its part when the time comes, Nunley said.

"When the time comes for action from the city, we are all well informed and have great background to make good decisions," Nunley said. "It will take help from the city, but all of us working together will bring positive results."

Katie England can be reached at 575-628-5516.

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