By Colin Baillio of Health Action New Mexico and Ana Moran of United States of Care
Otero County by Health Council leaders invited us to present at their monthly meeting and we also participated in a deeper conversation at their health equity pre-meeting. From our conversations with community members, activists, healthcare professionals, teachers and public officials, we learned the challenges they face in healthcare are connected to broader conditions of education and resources (human and capital).
Otero County, like many frontier and rural communities in New Mexico, doesn’t have the healthcare infrastructure to adequately serve its population, and its residents can’t afford to access the care that is available.
Sandra Wilder, mental health coordinator at Alamogordo’s Public Schools, described her experiences working in their underserved school district. Many children aren’t showing up to school ready to learn because of distressed homes, adverse neighborhood conditions, including the lack of transportation, hunger and poverty. Sandra works with children and their families to improve their situation by connecting them with mental health resources and providers.
Despite her efforts, she has seen many of these families forego needed appointments and services because they can’t afford them. Many of the families show up for a single appointment but aren’t able to seek continuous, preventative care because their co-pays are unaffordable or because they are uninsured.
We heard similar stories from Jeanette Borunda, a mental health provider and board member of Otero County’s Behavioral Health Collaborative. She operates an adult inpatient and outpatient program that provides individualized treatment for adults who suffer from emotional, behavioral or mental health disorders.
She and the providers she supervises personalize treatment plans, but all too often patients can’t attend most of their appointments because of costs and end up in the emergency room due to a crisis. Jeanette has personally confronted problems with affordability. She and her partner decided against marriage because it would make her essential care benefits unaffordable.
Regardless of the challenges, Alamogordo’s community comes together to advocate for needed services and support. Providers connect with each other and innovate ways for families to access care. Sandra refers parents to mental health professionals who provide sliding scale discounts for their services. The school district arranges for providers to host appointments in the schools, so children can access care during school hours.
Still, communities shouldn’t have to go to these lengths to ensure children and families can stay healthy and to go to school and learn.
