The Governor's SBHC Expansion Initiative

In 2005 Governor Bill Richardson announced his intention to double the number of SBHCs so that there is at least one in every county in NM. In early 2004, a collaborative group of health, education, and human services agencies, health care providers, and community leaders throughout the state began to look at how to actively grow school-based health centers throughout New Mexico.

This task force targeted 34 districts school districts. Selection was made based on the percentage of children living in poverty; teen suicide rates; the percentage of families headed by a single parent; teen birth rates; high school drop-out rates; the percentage of teens not in school or working; and the percentage of children without employed parents.

The Governor included $3 million in capital costs for the new SBHC sites in his FY06 budget. The $3 million for operations came from the general fund and were complemented by federal matching dollars for qualified services for Medicaid-eligible children/adolescents. (Note: SBHC capital is separate from school capital out-lay.) The Governor said that “this is just the start — in the coming years, we intend to increase the number of these centers and to expand the services that are offered.”

The Governors initiative to increase SBHCs in NM has been administered through the NM Department of Health, Office of School and Adolescent Health.  More information on the Office of School and Adolescent Health can be found at: http://www.nmassembly.org/osh.html

Documents from the Office of the Governor

• Overview (PDF)
• Press Releases (PDF)
• Legislative Issues (PDF)
• Current Sites (PDF)
• Proposed Sites (PDF)
• Contact List (Excel)

Frequently Asked Questions

Workgroups - Development

• Information Packet (PDF)
• Technical Assistance (Word)
• Communication Chart (Word)

Nuts and Bolts

• SBHC Standards (PDF)
• SBHC Sponsorship (PDF)
• Guidelines for Models (PDF)