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UNM’s Addiction and Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) program is at risk of being homeless next year.
Rodney McNease, executive finance director for Behavioral Health Finance, said UNM canceled plans to construct a new building for ASAP last month because of objections from neighborhood associations.
“It was clear from the input at the meetings that the community did not feel like this was the right location for the clinic,” he said. “UNMH tries to assure that we are a good neighbor when we are looking at developing clinics and we felt we needed to respect the wishes of the community,”
Because ASAP’s lease at its current location near the Sunport will expire in July of next year, the program planned to relocate to a new building near the intersection of Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard. UNMH conducted three meetings beginning in September to discuss the possibility of the new ASAP facility with neighborhood associations, but the project received negative reactions from the start.
During the third meeting, the University decided to cancel plans for that particular site.
McNease said that at the moment, UNMH is still searching for a more favorable site for ASAP, but that no specific sites are being considered or assessed at this point. But he said UNMH still plans to allot between $3.5 and $4.5 million for a new building.
La Mesa Community Improvement Association Secretary Charles Bennett said the association opposed the project because he said substance-abuse programs attract crime around neighborhoods. He said residents saw an increased amount of burglary and robbery when ASAP was still located near Highland High School.
“(UNMH) can control what happens inside their buildings,” he said. “But they’re not a police department, and they can’t control what happens outside the buildings.”
Bennett said moving the program to a more public site will hurt patients’ privacy, which is protected by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). He said because areas along Central Avenue are often heavily populated, patients would be more exposed.
“Our intention is to ensure their patients have positive outcomes to their treatment,” he said. “They do need to protect these people’s privacy. Where they’re located now, it’s easy to do.”
Bennett said the best place for a new building is a vacant lot near ASAP’s current facility. He said that site would allow ASAP to continue to be accessible and avoid bringing criminal behavior into other Albuquerque neighborhoods.
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Bennett said that although the association opposed the placement of a building at the Central Avenue and San Mateo Boulevard site, the association is willing to work with UNMH to find a new home for ASAP.
“It’s our hope that we can help them find another solution,” he said. “We’re happy to work with them.”
McNease said UNMH will continue to look for a site for the new building and provide a more sustainable plan for the program.
“We believe the clinic will continue to carry out its mission, and that we will develop a long-term plan for the facility that meets the needs of our patients and the community,” he said. “We are working on strategies to assure that ASAP can continue to meet the needs of our patients. We are confident that we will develop a plan that will meet these needs and that will also be supported by the community.”
