A new mental health care clinic aimed at serving needy residents throughout Dona Ana County is about to be launched through the joint efforts of New Mexico State University's College of Education and College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences. A public announcement will be made during a special event at 4 p.m., April 16, on the NMSU campus in the atrium of O'Donnell Hall. The clinic is expected to open to the public by July, and will be operating temporarily out of the family housing area at NMSU.

In Dona Ana County, some of the barriers to obtaining mental health care include a lack of transportation, infrastructure, physicians and cultural understanding, as well as limited inpatient services and less-than-timely access to medications, according to a 2006 report from the Dona Ana County Health and Human Services Alliance. Patients at the NMSU Community Mental Health and Wellness Clinic will be charged on a sliding scale, with insurance, including Medicare and Medicaid, also accepted.

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