LISTEN: May is Mental Health Awareness Month. In 2014 voters in Bernalillo County voted in favor of a tax for increased mental health services. This came after the shooting by police of James Boyd, a homeless man who had schizophrenia, as well as other shootings by police of people who struggled with mental illness. The tax went into effect in 2015 and is providing up to $20 million annually for new programs through the Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Initiative. Our guests include Katrina Hotrum. She is the Behavioral Health Director for Bernalillo County and Rodney McNease, administrator of behavioral health services at the University of New Mexico. UNM is one of the partners working with the county on this effort. There will be a Mental Health Awareness Day event on Tuesday, May 24th on Civic Plaza in Albuquerque.
We also check in with the staff of the Daily Lobo student newspaper about stories they’re covering on campus with Matt Reisen, outgoing news editor for the Daily Lobo, and Celia Raney, incoming news editor for the Daily Lobo.