ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Free medical services are headed to thousands across Bernalillo County. The Board of County Commissioners approved a more than $400,000 grant to create a mobile medical unit.

“It’s convenient, it’s local, it establishes a rapport,” said Pamela Acosta, Bernalillo County Behavioral Health Initiative senior manager.

Three mobile medical units are headed to the county. Two of the ones coming are in the works right now and are expected to be finished by next July. Those were approved by the County in spring 2020. The third unit’s $422,031 grant just got approved by Bernalillo County Commissioners.

“They’ll provide primary care, behavioral health care, preventative care. And they’ll be placed in four different quadrants of Bernalillo County, and also at community centers. They’ll be placed at community centers during the summer months, and then we’re also looking to place them part-time at charter schools,” said Acosta.

Acosta says the different services will be completely free for the community.

Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada sponsored the board’s agenda item and says the units will especially focus on low-income areas. Quezada is also a former Albuquerque Public School board member.

“I think the major strategy that we have to start looking at when it comes to behavioral health is prevention and intervention,” said Commissioner Steven Michael Quezada. “The data on this shows that schools who have those wraparound services are quite considerably more successful. And what we want is to make sure that our children have all everything covered.”

The estimated cost for each unit is about $445,000, but this recent grant covers $422,031.

“We’re planning on using behavioral health initiative, gross receipts tax to fund or leverage the difference and fund the additional costs, or the difference of it, and then also the operational costs as well. And we’re planning on doing that in our in our fiscal year 25 budget,” said Acosta. 

Acosta says Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury secured the funds for the third mobile medical unit.