Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act (BHRIA)

State Status

During the 2025 Legislative Session, the State of New Mexico enacted the Behavioral Health Reform and Investment Act (BHRIA) which officially took effect on June 20, 2025.

Since that time, the State’s Administrative Office of the Courts and the State’s Health Care Authority have been working to develop a regional approach to statewide behavioral health reform under the oversight of a statewide Behavioral Health Executive Committee which, among other things, has designated regions according to judicial districts.

The State’s Executive Committee has also adopted a specific approach to commence in the fall of FY26 as outlined in this State letter addressed to County Managers and Tribal Leaders. A copy of our region’s response can be found here.

Regional Status

Our State-determined Behavioral Health Region One (BHR1) includes the following 14 unique, separate, and distinct governments, with Santa Fe County serving as the region’s initial lead entity:

1. Jicarilla Apache Nation
2. Ohkay Owingeh
3. Pueblo of Santa Clara
4. Pueblo de San Ildefonso
5. Pueblo of Nambe
6. Pueblo of Pojoaque
7. Pueblo of Tesuque
8. County of Los Alamos
9. County of Rio Arriba
10. County of Santa Fe
11. City of Espanola
12. City of Santa Fe
13. Town of Edgewood
14. Village of Chama

The required actions outlined in the State letter to County Managers and Tribal Leaders include:

1. Development of a regional a planning committee for Stakeholder Workshops to identify the region’s top behavioral health priorities;
2. Participation in Listening Sessions to garner feedback on those identified priorities;
3. Development of a Regional Behavioral Health Plan approved at the local and state level and submitted to the Administrative Office of the Courts not later than April 30, 2026, and to the Health Care Authority not later than June 30, 2026.

BHR1’s initial core advisory members are those designated by the region’s counties and Sovereign Entities that provided a Letter of Support for the initial part of this State-driven process. Moving into FY27, they are represented through affirmed participation in either the HCA’s FY27 Early Access Plan and/or otherwise through the larger FY27 – FY29 Regional Plan. It is the responsibility of this core government advisory team to ensure informed decision making through a wider group of stakeholders that includes representation from the courts, municipalities and other incorporated areas, health councils, those with lived experience, behavioral health providers, local collaboratives, and any other interested party wanting to engage.

The FY27 R1 Meeting Schedule and Regional Roster of the core government advisory team may be accessed here, and anyone is invited to attend these meetings through a link that will be posted below a day in advance of each meeting. Interested parties are equally encouraged to review the posted materials on this page under “Important Quick Links,” which includes the submitted Regional Plan and so much more.

Important Quick Links

Learning More

Please remember that this State-determined model and methodology is an evolving process that will develop over time. Should you wish to learn more, please visit all of the hyperlinks contained on this page. For BHR1 folks who have additional questions, please feel free to reach out here .

Region One Youth Behavioral Health Workshop.
Photo Courtesy of Moving Arts Espanola and the Lightening Boy Foundation