ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- For the past six months, research has been conducted in New Mexico to identify technology-enabled solutions that address challenges to the delivery of behavioral health services to children and adolescents throughout the state. The resulting report and recommendations for change are the focus of an expert panel and workshop taking place in Albuquerque June 9 and 10 at the Nativo Lodge.
The conference, titled "The Future of Behavioral Heath in Children and Adolescents," is being conducted by HealthTech, an independent health care think tank, and funded by ValueOptions(R). HealthTech brings together industry professionals to review and rate ways that technology can influence the behavioral health care of young people in a state that is largely comprised of frontier communities.
Some of the participants include: Bruce Bronzan, former Californian legislator and mental health reform champion; Dr. Adam Darkins, trained neurosurgeon and current Chief Consultant for Care Coordination in the Department of Veterans Affairs; and J.D. Kleinke, author and founder of Health Strategies Network, a health care software development company based in Colorado.
In a letter to the panelists, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson states, "I am thankful to ValueOptions(R) for hosting and supporting this timely HealthTech study and discussion, and I look forward to the resulting recommendations for the betterment of New Mexico's youth."
Others expected to attend the conference will be Barbara Hill, CEO of ValueOptions(R) and Eddy Broadway, CEO of ValueOptions(R) New Mexico. State Senator and health care advocate Dede Feldman will give the keynote speech and State Representative Danice Picraux will provide opening remarks.
This spring, ValueOptions(R) New Mexico has granted a total of $10.3 million to expand behavioral health care services in the state through its Community Reinvestment program and the new Community-Based Services Expansion Fund. The availability of the money is the result of effective management of the public health care dollars ValueOptions(R) New Mexico receives along with an overall effort by the state to increase enrollment. ValueOptions(R) decided to use every dollar of the savings from these efforts to help providers add services that will allow consumers to obtain the care they need closer to home.
About ValueOptions(R) New Mexico
ValueOptions(R) New Mexico is the statewide entity that manages public funding and delivery of care for behavioral health in New Mexico. The organization is committed to providing behavioral health services that are both culturally competent and responsive to the unique needs of New Mexicans. For more information, go to http://www.valueoptions.com and http://www.valueoptions.com/newmexico.
About HealthTech
HealthTech's mission is to create a trusted source of objective, expert and useful information about the future of healthcare technologies. Founded in 2000 by Molly Coye, MD, MPH, HealthTech is a non-profit research and education organization that develops objective technology forecasts, innovative decision-making tools and facilitates a learning network of experts and health system leaders for the exclusive benefit of its more than 40 partner organizations: healthcare systems, hospitals, safety-net providers and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.healthtechcenter.org.
SOURCE ValueOptions(R) New Mexico
