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Nearly 20 percent of New Mexico’s population had been diagnosed as having depression as of 2024, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics.
It might seem a startling number, but it only tells part of New Mexico’s mental health story. Some residents might avoid seeking treatment or diagnoses based on cultural or generational beliefs, and others live in areas with limited medical care. The latter was the case for Jake McCook and Sara Tapia-Tomer, who grew up together in the Raton area and have witnessed the fallout of untreated mental health problems.
“We’ve both lost friends to suicide, alcohol and drug overdoses, etc., and we saw it get worse every year,” McCook says. “Sara studied psychology at UNM and worked in the field here, and I worked on social issues in government, nonprofit and public relations. Over the years, we grew frustrated that our health care system was so broken and failing our communities. So, we met one day at Village Pizza in Corrales, where we both live now, and decided to do something ourselves.”
