Santa Fe, NM — At the beginning of fiscal year 2024, Santa Fe Recovery Center (the Center) unveiled an updated four-year strategic plan that shifted its focus from a treatment-centric service approach to a more holistic model aimed at expanding both its residential and outpatient programs and adding wraparound prevention and recovery services. With the help of two multi-million dollar federal grants, local funding and community support, the Center is on-track to meet its strategic milestones. 

In 2024, the Center plans to add a facility in Gallup which will increase its capacity to offer outpatient treatment, expand residential services in Santa Fe by moving its 30-day men’s program to a newly renovated location, and increase substance use disorder treatment access in McKinley County with mobile medication assisted treatment (MAT) units. Additionally, the Center is in the process of becoming certified as a Comprehensive Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) in Gallup, a move that allows the Center to provide residents of all ages a full range of mental health and substance use disorder services. 

“We have quite a few significant projects running concurrently – all of which will support us in our ultimate goal of continuing to improve individual client outcomes as well as allow us to become a more robust partner in improving community-based outcomes,” said Santa Fe Recovery Center CEO Stacy Martin. “Becoming a certified CCBHC will certainly prove transformational for our organization, but our other initiatives are also instrumental in extending into prevention and recovery, which broadly involves helping to create an environment where people can flourish.”

The focus on prevention and recovery takes a multifaceted approach to address the root causes of substance use and create sustainable, evidence-based pathways to recovery. This means, on the prevention front, an emphasis on education, community outreach, and promoting healthy lifestyles and coping mechanisms. The recovery component involves establishing comprehensive support systems that include medical interventions, counseling, behavioral health therapies, peer support groups, and programs tailored to individual needs. 

“Recovery is more than simply abstaining from substance use,” said Martin. “It’s also rebuilding one’s life, addressing underlying issues, and fostering positive social connections to sustain long-term recovery and well-being.” 

Martin attributes not just the federal grants for allowing the Center the opportunity to expand its services, but the unwavering support the Center receives from the communities in both Santa Fe and Gallup. This support comes by way of collaboration with other providers and non-profits as well as financial backing from community funders like Anchorum St. Vincent, the nonprofit arm of Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center, as well as the Brindle Foundation, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) Foundation, the Frost Foundation and Con Alma Health Foundation. 

The Center’s new men’s 30-day residential building, located at 1931 Warner Ave., which is in the process of being renovated, is being supported by Santa Fe County capital outlay funding. Without this funding, the men’s program risked being displaced as the city moves forward with its plans for Santa Fe’s midtown campus. The move is also giving the Center an opportunity to increase its bed count and reassess and improve its extended residential program. 

“Addressing the significant behavioral health disparities in New Mexico is truly a concerted effort involving government leaders, grassroots organizations, local businesses, an engaged alumni network, and a whole array of cross-sector stakeholders,” said Martin. “We feel we are well-positioned to help lead the region in prevention and recovery from substance use and related issues. But we also recognize that best way to make a positive impact and improve outcomes is through partnership and collective action.”