Ready to get the first time.

Well, good morning, everyone, and welcome to City Council Chambers.

Miss Prime, we're ready to get started.

Good morning, Mayor, and good morning, everyone.

This is a work session of the El Paso City Council for Monday, April 27th, 2026.

It is nine oh five AM.

Mayor Johnson is present and presiding council chambers along with Mayor Protein Chavez, Representative Acevedo, Representative Malonado Rocha, Representative Boyatrepo, Representative Nino, Alternate Mayor Potem Pierro, Representative Limon, and Representative Canales.

Mayor, we have a quorum.

Okay, thank you.

Uh Representative Canalis, would you lead us in the pledge?

Mayor, it's always a pleasure um to read this proclamation and to welcome our friends from emergence and from NAMI.

Uh let me start as we're walking up.

Whereas mental health is an essential part of overall health, and whereas one in five US adults experience a mental health condition in any given year, and whereas approximately one half of all chronic mental health conditions begin by age fourteen, and three quarters uh uh by age twenty-four.

Whereas on average, there's a delay of eleven years and sometimes decades between the first appearance uh of symptoms when the individual receives treatment.

Whereas early identification and appropriate treatment can signify improve outcomes and support long-term recovery.

Whereas every individual and community can play a role in ending the silence and stigma that have long surrounded mental health and discourage people from seeking help.

And whereas increased public awareness about mental health can positively shift attitudes, reduce stigma, and make it easier for individuals to access the support that they need.

Whereas El Paso can text NAMI to 741741 to access free 24-7th confidential crisis text line.

Whereas El Pasoans can experience a mental health crisis, or are concerned about loved ones, can also text 988, the National Suicide Crisis Lifeline, or contact the Crisis Lifeline at 915-779-1800.

Both lines are free, confidential, and available 24-7 and answered by Emergent Health Network Mental Health Professionals.

Whereas Emergence Health Network and NAMI El Paso will come together alongside the community for mental health night at the El Paso Chihuahua Game, taking place May 8th, 2026, welcoming all residents to join in spirit and solidarity, hope, and healing.

Now they're before be proclaimed by the mayor and council, the City of El Paso, the month of May 2026, be known as Mental Health Awareness Month.

Signed the Honorable Mayor Renard Johnson.

Good morning.

Good morning, Mayor Council Renew Thalow, Chief of Staff for Emergence Health Network.

And on behalf of the board and all the staff at Emergence, one of thank you for recognizing May's Mental Health Month.

It's a very important month for us as we work to uh educate the community about the importance of mental health access and help that is needed.

The city has been instrumental in the growth of clinical programming and outreach programming that emergency has been able to achieve.

Without you, we could not do it.

Of course, the centerpiece of our partnership is our crisis are our crisis intervention teams and our partnership with the El Paso Police Department and Chick Pasillas.

As you know, uh the CIT team is comprised of a mental health professional co-deploying with a peace officer or uh police officer to SWAT or mental health situations.

And uh now that the program has been uh in in uh in operation for several years, we do have the data that shows that uh the program is very effective at diverting individuals with a mental health diagnosis away from jail or the inappropriate placements, and again, without your partnership, this this would not be happening here in our city.

Uh mentioned 988, and of course, we are very proud to be one of only four 988 call centers in Texas.

So when you call 988 from El Paso, it's answered it's uh answered right here in the city.

We are uh co-located with 911.

They are literally an arm reach of arms reach from each other.

So again, a very innovative partnership when it comes to 911 and 988.

So we're excited that we're able to be able to continue the this programming, along with many other education and and treatment options that are available now that weren't available just a couple of years ago, uh, from our new location at the Boys and Girls Club here in South El Paso to our new mobile outreach learning library that's traveling around the area, providing information on mental health access.

Uh all all these programs would not be in existence without partnerships uh like like like the city.

So we're excited that we continue to grow and uh of course you uh you may have heard last time we were here, our CEO Christy Dharty, oh, and we have our we have our guest here showing up to talk about mental health night, so we're excited that he's gonna he's gonna be a part of this.

Um as I was saying, so we uh we came a couple just a couple of weeks ago to talk about our our our new uh our new facility that's gonna be out in Far East El Paso.

We're gonna be able to uh with the help of the state legislature that afforded emergence health network 55 million dollars to construct and operate a brand new mental health campus in Far East El Paso.

We're finalizing uh the land purchase here and we'll we'll be breaking ground this this year, so we're excited and we'll keep uh mayor and council appraised as well as the entire community appraised of this new campus that's dedicated to mental health services that's gonna change the face of how we treat folks with mental illness here in El Paso.

So we're excited to get that going.

And with that, I want to finish up my little uh speech today with with uh inviting you to the ballpark.

Uh May 9th is mental health night at the Chihuahuas.

Uh EHN is proud to be the only presenting sponsor, uh, and we want everybody out there kind of you know raising the flag of of mental health and mental awareness, and that's why we have our friends here to include Isidro.

Good morning, good morning, Mayor, good morning, counsel Isidro Torres, executive director of Nami El Paso and interim executive director of NOMI, Texas.

Thank you so much for letting us intrude on your work session today.

Really appreciate it.

We know you don't usually do these during the work session, but grateful to be here, grateful for Chico and our partners at Emergent Health Network.

presenting sponsor uh and we want everybody out there kind of you know raising the flag of of mental health and mental awareness and that's why we have our friends here to include isidood mayor good morning counsel isidotoras executive director of nominal passo and term executive director of Nami Texas thank you so much for letting us intrude on your work session today really appreciate it we know you don't usually do these um during the work session but grateful to be here grateful for Chico and our partners at Emergent Health Network this year Nami El Paso we're really grateful we're gonna be celebrating 40 years here in our community 40 years of community healing and coming together around mental health our work started um our work is surrounded in in community and in healing and that's really at the core of our theme this year uh is coming together and and connecting with one another uniting together and healing together but also moving forward together and so we're really excited uh and hope you'll join us at the ballpark May 8th very good representative is there are we supposed to be wearing certain colors or do we go Chihuahua red or I believe the emergency team is whiting out the stadium the mental health awareness color so Ms.

Lamon can't wear her green she has to wear white green green green would be perfect thank you all both for everything you do for our community I know when when we do our our monthly mental health um meetings in our in a for our community you all are always the first to step up and come out and share information on your Saturday mornings and we cannot thank you enough for all you do for everybody in our community.

Thank you thank you mayor yep Representative Nino Thank you mayor and I echo the sentiment that Fiero shared with you all thank you for everything that you do in our community I was going to ask you you guys could repeat one more time the phone numbers that the individuals could text and call whenever they're facing a mental health crisis.

So it's it's as easy as a nine eight eight that's that's probably the the easiest one to to uh to access we're available 247 365 and you'll speak to a mental health professional uh with regard in any kind of crisis or guidance to seek resources the way to go yeah mental health is extremely important and it's important to have access to it I always share with my staff I myself go to therapy every two weeks the Wednesday after a council meeting usually but it's really important and I'm not kidding for I I go to therapy no I I intentionally set it up every Wednesday after a council meeting because it's important for us to be able to have that resource and I always share with my colleagues and my staff of how important mental health is so thank you for uh everything that you guys do for our community and looking forward to celebrating uh the future East campus which I know is going to be in district five it's actually gonna be right behind my house but thank you guys for everything you guys do thank you yeah so you you're gonna hear the same thing you know thank you guys for what you do in the area of mental health and um we know that this affects everyone regardless of age background money profession and I think we have to remember that it's okay to not be okay you know and and most people don't understand what that means and Representative Nino just you know expressed something that he does in the in this private world but it's okay to go out and seek help when you need it.

I think it's important also that we remember that we need to check on our neighbors check on our friends and our families the ones that we may not know that could be suffering that we should we should reach out to to see how they're doing and asking for help is truly a sign of strength so we appreciate everything you guys are doing for this community and for 40 years it's been it's been amazing.

And you show up today you know we we're we're looking at May 9th the event at the ballpark but you bring our favorite Chihuahua here with you I mean what's not the not to expect so we're so very very happy that you brought Chico here and and that we'll be seeing you guys at the ballpark and congratulations on 40 years.

Thank you guys one on either side

You're gonna have to ask you.

See, I'm spending a combination but tomorrow contour regidores and Juarez, then the representatives of Juarez.