Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda highlighted that Baja California has positioned itself as a national leader in mental health care through a community-based model that prioritizes accessibility and specialized support during a recent tour of the Community Mental Health and Addictions Center (CECOSAMA).
The state’s strategy is built on a network of accessible facilities operated by the Baja California Secretariat of Health. This includes 12 CECOSAMA centers, three specialized units, and a hospital under the State Institute of Psychiatry of Baja California (IPEBC), ensuring free and non-discriminatory care across all municipalities for over 90,000 people.
“Previously, governments didn’t give importance to these issues. We made it a state policy, a public health policy. I am convinced that addiction and drugs should not be viewed in isolation as merely a security issue; it is an issue we must address comprehensively,” the governor said.
In addition, the 075 Life Line has provided over 13,000 timely interventions, while the “VIBRA” program deploys community brigades to vulnerable areas, training health auxiliaries and conducting screening campaigns.
“Baja California is the only state in the country with a dedicated Community Mental Health program. We have specialized equipment and an ambulance equipped to provide psychological and psychiatric support, staffed by trained personnel to help prevent a person from remaining in crisis,” Adrián Medina Amarillas, the Secretary of Health, said.
Víctor Salvador Rico Hernández, director of IPEBC, emphasized that the institute’s model prioritizes comprehensive support, moving beyond just pharmacological treatment as it is about providing comprehensive support to people facing mental health challenges.
For residents like Stephany, a single mother of three children with special needs, the decentralized model has been life-changing. She shared that traveling to the main institute from the outskirts of Mexicali was a significant burden.
“Now, with CECOSAMA, it’s much faster: I get there in 15 minutes,” she said. “They have been very kind and the children have improved enormously. I am very grateful for the support and for paying attention to mental health, especially to children.”
Governor Marina del Pilar reaffirmed that all mental health and addiction services remain available free of charge throughout the state for anyone in need of care or guidance.
