Voices from Taos & Rio Arriba Counties
Read the new reports reflecting the unique voices, challenges, and ideas shared by residents, providers, and community leaders through town halls and focus groups.
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD and Dominic Cappello
April 7, 2025
We are excited to share that the community insight reports for Taos and Rio Arriba Counties are now available! These reports are part of the broader effort to inform the development of a New Mexico Child and Family Services System Blueprint, a project proposed by House Majority Floor Leader Gail Chasey and funded by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.
Each report reflects the unique voices, challenges, and ideas shared by residents, providers, and community leaders through town halls and focus groups.
What’s Inside the Reports?
Taos County Report
- Perspectives from the Taos Pueblo community on housing, food access, healthcare, and youth support
- Insightful data from a town hall that included 31 local organizations
- Key community-generated solutions around culturally responsive care, cost of living, and service integration
Rio Arriba County Report
- Honest accounts from grandparents, caregivers, and providers navigating caregiving and recovery
- Discussions on gaps in mental health, substance use recovery, childcare, and housing
- Ideas for stronger collaboration across services and improved access for rural communities
Community Conversations
We recently hosted two community events to share these findings and gather feedback:
- April 1st – Taos
We met with local leaders and residents to discuss the key findings from the Taos County report and brainstorm next steps for implementing the community’s ideas. - April 2nd – Española
In Rio Arriba, we welcomed service providers, families, and youth advocates to explore how this data can guide collaboration and investments moving forward.
Both events were filled with energy, insight, and a shared commitment to building systems that are culturally responsive, community-driven, and sustainably resourced.
See our schedule for upcoming events in Doña Ana, Chaves, Valencia, and McKinley Counties.
What’s Next?
These reports are just the beginning. Community voices have laid the foundation, and now we move into action, strengthening services, closing gaps, and building a New Mexico where every family has the support they need to thrive.
Stay tuned for more events, updates, and opportunities to get involved.
Did you know? Our transformational 100% New Mexico initiative is guided by web-based, self-paced courses provided free to all New Mexicans.
ENROLL TO GET STARTED
Dr. Katherine Ortega Courtney
Katherine Ortega Courtney, PhD. is a changemaker, psychologist, author, and life coach. Her work in child welfare advocacy has instilled change in data-driven trauma prevention in states across the country. She has worked in policy and research and has led community initiatives through her work at the Santa Fe Community Foundation and the New Mexico Early Childhood Development Partnership. As a psychologist and life coach, she coaches individuals and organizations on interrupting the cycles of trauma, addressing the burnout rate in government jobs and child welfare, and providing the tools and skills to achieve the work-life balance that will trickle down to better outcomes in prevention. Her doctorate work at Texas Christian University was in experimental psychology focused on substance abuse treatment and prevention.
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Dominic Cappello
Cappello is a New York Times bestselling author and TEDx Conference curator with decades of experience advocating for health, safety and education. He has a Master of Arts in Liberal studies with an emphasis on Language and Communication from Regis University. He worked for the New Mexico Department of Health Epidemiology and Response Division and the New Mexico Child Protective Services Research, Assessment and Data Bureau, where he co-developed the Data Leader for Child Welfare program, which he implemented in New York City, Connecticut and New Mexico.
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The 100% New Mexico initiative is a program of the Anna, Age Eight Institute at New Mexico State University, College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, Cooperative Extension Service. Contact: annaageeight@nmsu.edu or visit annaageeight.nmsu.edu to learn more.
