105. Rural Realities: Crisis Care, Community, and New Mexico’s Model with Dr. Jess Spohn

In this episode, we’re diving into the urgent realities of crisis care in rural and remote communities with the brilliant Dr. Jess Spohn (they/them), a neurosparkly public health social worker and national voice for equitable mental health and substance use services. From their home in Southern New Mexico, Dr. Jess shares what crisis really looks like in underserved areas, how the state’s Crisis Now model is making a difference, and why culturally-inclusive, strengths-based approaches matter — especially for marginalized populations like 2SLGBTQIA+ folks. We talk water pressure, Legos, and what it takes to build crisis systems that actually work in the places that need them most.

In this episode, you will be able to:

• Identify the roadblocks rural communities face in accessing crisis care.
• Explore innovative models like mobile crisis teams and youth response systems.
• Learn key steps to establish crisis centers tailored to rural needs.
• See how culturally relevant and tech-driven solutions expand access to care.
• Discover strategies to break barriers and build fair, effective mental health systems.

The key moments in this episode are:
 00:00:00 - Podcast Intro and Hosts’ Water Woes
 00:02:39 - Meet Dr. Jess Spone: Crisis Care Expert
 00:05:16 - Rural vs Urban Crisis Challenges in New Mexico
 00:08:12 - Crisis Centers & Mobile Crisis Models
 00:11:20 - Partnerships & MRSS Youth Teams
 00:13:23 - Accessibility in Rural & Remote Areas
 00:16:40 - Innovations in Mobile Response & Telehealth
 00:17:58 - Culturally Relevant Care for Indigenous & Spanish-Speaking Populations
 00:20:25 - Crisis Centers as Community Hubs
 00:25:58 - National Tools & Resources for Crisis Systems
 00:27:15 - Federal Guidance & Rural Challenges
 00:29:02 - Overcoming Barriers with Creativity
 00:30:10 - Empowering Communities Through Collaboration
 00:30:39 - Life Lessons from Weather
 00:31:54 - Tech & Innovation in Rural Life

Links:

• https://yes.nm.gov/nmhr/s/new-mexicos-crisis-now-continuum-of-car?language=en_US
• https://988crisissystemshelp.samhsa.gov/ (has links to all kinds of great reports, guidance documents, and toolkits)
• https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/toolkits/mental-health/2/access/crisis-response 
• https://yes.nm.gov/nmhr/s/new-mexicos-crisis-now-continuum-of-car?language=en_US
• https://nmrecovery.org/

Connect with us: 

https://ruralpolicypartners.com/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/linkedin.com/company/rural-policy-partners/ 

https://www.facebook.com/facebook.com/ruralpolicypartners

https://www.youtube.com/@ruralpolicypartners

Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/uTbiTUz3rKo