New Mexico crafts new rules for crisis triage centers

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico health officials have crafted a new set of regulations and licensing requirements for behavioral health crisis triage centers.
The state Health Department says this new type of facility will focus on people who voluntarily admit themselves.
Officials say the triage centers will provide emergency behavioral health evaluations, as well as outpatient and short-term residential services under a new framework aimed at closing the gap between the needs of patients with outpatient and acute care needs.
Health Secretary Lynn Gallagher says the centers will be part of a safety net for crisis intervention.
The regulations fulfill legislation that approved earlier this year.