New Mexico’s state government is taking part in a program for the next two years to improve housing and health policy, and a wide range of state agencies will participate.
The program is through National Academy for State Health Policy Health and Housing Institute, which is a non-profit that receives funding from several health care organizations and Amazon.
New Mexico is one of four states participating for the next two years in the program’s third cohort.
New Mexico Human Services Department Deputy Secretary Alex Castillo Smith said the program should help policymakers get to information and resources that aren’t normally available to them.
“My colleagues and I at the state are going to get access to expert consultants around the country and individualized technical assistance, convenings with other states and our cohort,” she said.
She said she hopes the work they do in the program helps inform budget requests, refine the policies they have and get the most out of Medicaid dollars available through the federal government.
She also says the program will hopefully also get departments whose work touches on homelessness to work together more often. The team that will participate in the program includes leaders from several policy areas, including behavioral health, housing, disabilities, aging, public health and corrections along with the Governor’s office.
This coverage is made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and KUNM listeners.
