Southwest Counseling Center mulls closure

By Diana Alba Soular

dalba@lcsun-news.com @AlbaSoular on Twitter

LAS CRUCES -- An ongoing drama centered upon one of Las Cruces' main providers of Medicaid-funded behavioral health care continued Monday, with the provider saying it may have to close its doors Tuesday.

The state human services department hadn't made a pledged payment to the provider by mid-afternoon Monday, Southwest Counseling Center executive Director Roque Garcia said. The payment was needed to make payroll through July 27, he said.

"As of right now, we don't have that money, and if it doesn't get deposited, we have to close (Tuesday)," said Garcia, who was clearly distraught.

If the doors close, the move would leave about 120 employees out of work, Garcia said. Also, at least some portion of the 2,000 to 3,000 patients per year who rely upon the private nonprofit's spectrum of programs would be with be without an immediate place to get services.

While the state has promised to pay Southwest Counseling Center's payroll through July 27, there was not a commitment to deposit the money on Monday, said Matt Kennicott, spokesman for the state agency.

"My understanding is their payroll is not scheduled until the end of this month on the 27th," he said. "I think the agreement was to cover that payroll, so we'll definitely honor that agreement."

Attorneys for the state and Southwest

Counseling Center -- one of 15 impacted providers statewide -- have been in discussions about the transition.

The Gov. Susana Martinez administration abruptly froze payments to the providers in recent weeks, after an audit turned up allegations of overbilling. The attorney general's office is investigating.

The two-week extension period is meant to develop a transitional agreement between a proposed new provider, the state and the private providers, Kennicott said. He said the involvement a new provider would have with each of the state's current providers could vary greatly. In some instances, organizations may only need re-training, he said. In other instances, they may need overhauls.

"Basically, we'll take each one of these on a case by case basis," he said.

Southwest Counseling Center, a 50-year-old provider, offers a number of mental health and substance abuse treatment programs, ranging from therapy to transitional living services, Garcia said.

Garcia has called into question the quality of the auditing work that led to the halting of payments.

Some 3,000 people have signed an online petition in support of the Southwest Counseling, Garcia said.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443

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