Last summer, Morgan Cata drove around Española each day for weeks talking with people on the street who were struggling with addiction and behavioral health issues while building relationships within communities.
Cata and fellow peer support specialist Bob Lesch worked with individuals to understand their needs, help them secure food and water, enroll in treatment programs and connect them with medical care and housing resources. The pair were part of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico’s initial street outreach to help Española and Rio Arriba County residents secure basic resources.
The region has a rich cultural history but also had the highest drug overdose death rate in the state from 2015-2023, and continues to struggle with generational trauma, addiction, crime and poverty.
In less than one year, BCBSNM has helped support local organizations with grant funding to open an outpatient behavioral health program and transitional living facility, and engage people in care coordination to support better health outcomes and housing security.
Cata, who grew up in Rio Arriba County and struggled with addiction and homelessness, says it was initially tough to earn trust in Española but is seeing their compassionate outreach pay off.
“I shop in town, and I see people I’ve talked with on the street all the time,” she says. “There are people trying hard to stay clean and sober and who have completed programs and gone to sober living homes, but it’s not a quick or easy turnaround. Everyone’s recovery is different.”
Call to action
BCBSNM directed additional resources to Española, including Cata, Lesch and two care coordinators. More than 450 unique individuals had been reached as of March 2026, including 130 BCBSNM members.
Strengthening relationships with local organizations is central to BCBSNM’s efforts. Serna Solutions, which provides outpatient counseling and rehabilitation services for children, adults and families with mental health and/or substance misuse issues, is one of 35 organizations that BCBSNM care coordinators refer patients to for assistance.
Serna Solutions opened its first in-person outpatient therapy office in Española in February 2025 and expanded to a permanent office in September with help from BCBSNM. Patient referrals often come through Española Hospital’s emergency department and parole officers who have developed a good working relationship with the organization.
Licensed therapist Adam Baca provides counseling to 27 clients, with nine on a waitlist. He’s a lifetime Española native and says there’s growing demand for therapy but often a “small window of opportunity” to engage with people.
Baca and Director of Operations Renee Edwards say they’re thrilled with the program’s progress and are working to hire another therapist. The trust Baca brings to the job and Serna Solution’s approach to treating underlying causes of addiction are key, they say.
“We’re not just treating the addiction,” Edwards says. “We’re working to understand trauma history and use interventions and trust to find the underlying causes of addiction issues.”
As part of the push to increase services, BCBSNM provided grant funding to help the New Mexico Reentry Center open a transitional living facility in Española for justice-involved men.
The 10-room facility serves men 18 years and older willing to work and pay rent while attending two peer-run group meetings weekly. Each person receives case management, skills training, community connections and peer-based support for up to six months as they work toward sobriety and stability.
The peer-run nonprofit also provides training and support in Santa Fe and Albuquerque for people recovering from substance misuse disorders and mental health issues, while offering housing support and social health services.
“Our focus has always been getting people working and helping them secure stable employment so they can get back into society,” says Founder and Executive Director of NM Reentry Center Natasha Garcia.
Ongoing support
Nearly a year after shifting additional resources to Espanola, BCBSNM continues to send one of its two Care Vans® to local shelters weekly to help administer basic resources, education and no-cost preventive services to the community.
The overall efforts have enrolled 48 BCBSNM members in care coordination as of this past March. That means offering more people in Espanola preventive care and housing opportunities.
James Gilson, BCBSNM senior manager of behavioral health case management, says they’ll continue supporting the Española community for as long as is needed.
“Every person we help find recovery benefits the community,” he says. “Are there more people who need help? Of course. But I think we’ve already achieved much of what we set out to do.”
