Report Type: Governance SB3 Toolkit
SB3 Tribal Community Toolkit
YEAR
2026
AUTHOR / ORGANIZATION
NM Courts
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
Behavioral Health Region, Bernalillo County, Statewide (New Mexico)
What is this?
This is a community education toolkit created to help tribal leaders, service providers, and community members understand New Mexico's Senate Bill 3 (Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act) and identify ways to participate in SB3 planning, coordination, and implementation. It serves as an orientation document rather than a technical planning guide. The toolkit provides foundational definitions of behavioral health concepts, explains the regional planning structure established by SB3, identifies key implementation partners and timelines, and offers multiple pathways for community engagement including workshops, feedback forms, and newsletters.
Summary
This toolkit supports tribal engagement in New Mexico’s SB3 behavioral health reform, which directly impacts Bernalillo County as Region 2. For Bernalillo County systems planners, the toolkit reveals critical structural elements: the Health Care Authority funds over 90% of behavioral health care in the state, regional plans must align with Medicaid and capital investment strategies, and each region selects up to five state-funded priorities through community-driven workshops. The phased implementation approach—Application, Convening, Listening Sessions, Plan Development, and Submission—provides a model for systematic stakeholder engagement. The toolkit emphasizes integrated treatment approaches for co-occurring disorders, coordination across health, behavioral health, crisis, and justice systems, and workforce development. Bernalillo County’s youth workshop was scheduled for November 2025, with regional plan submissions due June 30, 2026. The framework demonstrates how tribal, county, and state entities can formalize partnerships through MOUs/MOAs while maintaining distinct governance roles. Systems planners should note the Enhanced Sequential Intercept Mapping (E-SIM) process as a required methodology for identifying gaps and defining regional priorities before plan development.
BH Systems Change Recommendations
**How This Report Informs Systems Change** The toolkit provides a structural framework for regional behavioral health planning that Bernalillo County systems planners can leverage: 1. **Governance Model**: The three-branch coordination (Administrative Office of Courts, HCA, UNM HSC) with local Accountable Entities provides a template for cross-system partnership formalization through MOUs/MOAs. 2. **E-SIM Methodology**: The Enhanced Sequential Intercept Mapping process is required before plan development—systems planners should ensure this methodology is integrated into local planning efforts. 3. **Funding Alignment**: Regional plans must align with Medicaid, capital investment, and workforce strategies, indicating that siloed planning approaches will not meet state requirements. 4. **Priority Selection Process**: The workshop-based voting process for selecting up to 5 regional priorities demonstrates a structured approach to community-driven decision-making that can be replicated in local planning. 5. **Phased Implementation**: The Application → Convene → Listen → Plan Development → Submission sequence provides a replicable process framework for systematic stakeholder engagement.
How to Use for Systems Planning
**What this report IS useful for:** - Understanding the statewide SB3 framework that governs regional behavioral health planning in Bernalillo County - Identifying key state partners, funding mechanisms, and timeline requirements - Learning the E-SIM process requirement and regional plan components - Understanding tribal engagement pathways and regional designations - Accessing contact information for state-level SB3 coordination **What this report DOES NOT provide:** - Bernalillo County-specific data, gaps analysis, or service inventory - Detailed implementation guidance or technical planning templates - Funding amounts beyond the $60,000 planning grant figure - Specific metrics or outcomes requirements for regional plans - Provider network information or capacity assessments
Key Facts & Data Points
- New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) finances more than 90% of behavioral health care expenses in the state - SB3 establishes 13 behavioral health regions across New Mexico - Each region is eligible for planning grants up to $60,000 - Regional plans must identify up to 5 state-funded priorities - Regional plan submissions due June 30, 2026 - Bernalillo County is designated as Region 2 - Region 2 youth workshop scheduled November 20-21, 2025 - Behavioral Health Executive Committee has 7 members leading implementation - Three state entities coordinate implementation: Administrative Office of Courts, Health Care Authority, and UNM Health Sciences Center - 22 tribal nations and pueblos are mapped to various behavioral health regions
Priority Services & Findings
**SUD Organizations** - Substance use treatment services listed as core behavioral health service - Medication assisted treatment identified as crisis care service - Integrated treatment approaches (psychotherapy + behavioral + pharmacologic) cited as most effective for co-occurring SUD and psychiatric disorders - Research cited linking violence risk to co-occurring substance use and treatment disengagement **Mental Health / Crisis Care** - Crisis care services including crisis response teams and crisis triage centers - Residential treatment services (voluntary/involuntary) - Inpatient and outpatient treatment - Individual, group, family and marriage counseling - Psychotherapy and medication management **Integrated Primary Care** - Comprehensive Community Health Clinics (CCHC) identified as behavioral health sites - Alignment with Medicaid and capital planning emphasized as key provision - Medical providers listed among behavioral health providers **School-Based / Youth Services** - Dedicated youth workshops scheduled for Bernalillo County (Region 2) and Dona Ana County (Region 3) - Severe emotional disturbance (SED) identified as target population in Behavioral Health Assessment
Immediate Actions for Systems Planners
-Confirm Bernalillo County's Accountable Entity designation and ensure formal partnership with Region 2 tribal communities (Pueblo of Isleta, Pueblo of Sandia) -Review the November 2025 youth workshop outcomes and integrate findings into regional planning -Access the Behavioral Health Assessment and Feasibility Study at hca.nm.gov for detailed gaps analysis -Establish MOUs/MOAs with regional partners formalizing governance, data sharing, and fiscal authority -Prepare for E-SIM (Enhanced Sequential Intercept Mapping) process as required prerequisite for plan development -Submit feedback through the state feedback form (bit.ly/SB3FeedbackForm) and sign up for SB3 Newsletter (bit.ly/SB3Newsletter) -Track regional plan submission deadline of June 30, 2026 and work backward to establish local milestones
Key Contacts
**/ - Esperanza Lucero, MSW, MBA, Behavioral Health Integration & Reform Administrator, Administrative Office of Courts -+ aoceal@nmcourts.gov - 505-637-1617 **/ - Dr. Violette Cloud, Behavioral Health Executive Member, NM Supreme Court's Commission on Mental Health & Competency -+ violettecloud@gmail.com **/ - Nick Boukus, Director, NM Health Care Authority Behavioral Health Services Division & Executive Committee Chair = - Kari Armijo, Cabinet Secretary, NM Health Care Authority **/ - Alanna Dancis, Acting NM Medicaid Director = - Karl Reifsteck, Administrative Office of the Courts Director **/ - Dr. Stacey Cox, CEO, Center for Health Innovation of NM Public Health Institute **/ - Jerry Ortiz y Pino, Former NM State Senator, Executive Committee Member