During the KDCE “Coffee Break” interview, Clinical Director Angelo Sandoval and Certified Peer Support Worker Sixto Aguirre highlighted the growing presence of fentanyl mixed with xylazine in New Mexico, the challenges of treating these substances, and the importance of addressing underlying mental health and trauma. They also spoke about the role of compassion and peer support in recovery, reinforcing Porch Light Health’s commitment to serving communities across Colorado and New Mexico.
KDCE Newsradio
The School Housing Lender. Good morning and welcome to coffee break. Joining me in the studio this morning, we have Angelo Sandoval and Sisto Aguirre. They are with Porch Light. Porch Light Health is an outpatient substance use treatment center here in Espanola and other cities here in New Mexico. Good morning, Angelo. Good morning, Sisto.
Angelo Sandoval
Good.
KDCE Newsradio
I know that Angelo is the Director, I guess. What’s your official title?
Angelo Sandoval
I am the Clinical Director for the Behavioral Health portion of Porch Light.
KDCE Newsradio
Sisto, since you hadn’t been here with us before, well, you have when you were employed by the county, but now you work for Porch Light?
Sixto Aguirre
Yes, I started last week, and I’m the CPSW. I got hired on to be the CPSW, the Certified Peer Support Worker.
KDCE Newsradio
Okay. Is that the same thing you were doing at the country?
Sixto Aguirre
Yes, I’ll be doing the same thing, just working, being that support to the individuals going into Porch light, that additional support, then what they already are getting there with Porch light, with the MAT services and the counseling.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. So one week on the job, I guess.
Sixto Aguirre
Yes, sir. And Angelo already put me on the spot.
KDCE Newsradio
So Angelo, you’re seeing the new drugs here in the Espanola Valley, I guess?
Angelo Sandoval
Well, yes. What we’re seeing more now is, well, traditionally from what I grew up with. I grew up with the typical heroin pills, the opiates, the benzodiazepines and cocaine. Those were the more common drugs growing up. But in the last few years, we’ve seen an increasing methamphetamines initially, and now we’re seeing a growth with the street-grade fentanyl that’s mixed with this other drug called xylazine, which is like a It’s horse tranquilizer. We’re seeing these three drugs that are making a bigger impact now.
KDCE Newsradio
Xylazine?
Angelo Sandoval
Yeah, it’s a horse-tranquilizer.
KDCE Newsradio
They’re using that to make synthetic drugs, I guess?
Angelo Sandoval
They’re using it in the street-grade fentanyl, yeah. Oh, wow. We’re seeing that a lot.
KDCE Newsradio
Horses are big, huge. Sometimes it’s a horse tranquilizer, I can just imagine. All right. You do treat these?
Angelo Sandoval
We spoke the last time I was here, like opiate-based drugs and alcohol, we can treat those with medication. Those ones, we put them on substitutes, we use other drugs to win them off or to maintain. But when we’re looking at methamphenamine and xylizine and even cocaine to some degree. Those drugs are a little bit more difficult to treat medically because there’s really no antidote drug for those or no drug to help maintain that. Those require more of an approach for the behavior health, really looking at changing behaviors, understanding. I think the bigger question is, why? Why are people using drugs? I think that’s the biggest part that we have to focus on is, are we looking at someone with depression? We’re looking at someone with anxiety, posttraumatic stress syndrome, childhood trauma, sexual abuse, domestic violence, childhood abuse. I think sometimes we focus on the drug itself, but we’re not focusing on the problems that lead to the abuse. I think that’s the bigger key. This is why the behavioral health component is so important as a partner with the medication. This is why six of those roles is important because when we attack the problem from different angles, then we’re treating the person more holistically, more looking at the whole person, not just pieces of a person.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. That’s where you come in, Sixto. I guess it’s just by talking to the patient, to the client, Yeah.
Sixto Aguirre
I’m a CPSW, and it means Certified Peer Support Worker. All that means really is I’m in long-term recovery. The thing is I could relate a lot to a lot of these individuals on things that they might be going through, how they’re feeling. I’m not saying I know exactly how they feel because all of us that are in addiction to alcohol and drugs, we’re different. The experience is different. But at least I could relate a lot more to the situation, how they might be feeling and be able to communicate and give that support to them.
KDCE Newsradio
Yeah, but I bet that the drug that Angela just mentioned, that horse tranquilizer one, that wasn’t around, I That’s very important, right?
Sixto Aguirre
Yeah. No. So the thing is with me, I was blessed enough to have just gotten into recovery. I went to Oye, right? Right when I think Fentanyl was coming out. If I wouldn’t have went to treatment, I’d probably be out there using Fentanyl and using the Xylizine also and all these other stuff that they’re putting in the Fentanyl pills.
KDCE Newsradio
On the cheat sheet you gave me here, it says that Compassion plays a big role in this, right, Angelo and Sisto? Yes. Why is compassion such an important part of this? I know that you just told us that it’s more understanding why they’re using the drug as why is the question? I guess this would be a significant role.
Angelo Sandoval
Yes. One of the important things is understanding word origins. For me, when I look at the word compassion, if you break it down to its origins, It’s a Latin word, and the C-O-M stands for com, which means to be with. And passion in the Latin is pasio, which means suffering. So when we have compassion, we’re trying to accompany our loved ones in that suffering and help them support. Because I remember growing up and dealing with my tío who was an alcoholic, and we were always telling him, Stop drinking, stop drinking. Well, he stopped drinking many, many times, but we never really addressed the issue. The issue for him, I came to understand after looking at some of his stories after he passed, is that he really died of depression, sadness, and PTSD. If we would have understood this when he was alive, maybe he’d still be alive today because we would have been able to really address his issues, which was more the mental health, some of the traumas he had endured in his youth. I think it’s recovery month. So when we want to help people recover, it’s not just stopping the drug. That part we can do, to some degree, fairly easy.
Angelo Sandoval
You go to jail, we put you in rehab, you go to the hospital, we detox you. But If we don’t deal with why you’re using, then you’re never going to really stop using. You’re just going to cycle and cycle and cycle. So what we do at Porchly, in addition to the medication-assistant treatment and with 6-0 support with the CPSW and the behavior health, We really try to understand why. What led you to this? Where did it start? What drives you to go back when you do go back? And it’s really accompanying the client or the family member in the case of the audience is how do we accompany them in that suffering and how do we support them in reducing, if you will, the suffering by our support and let them know that they’re okay to feel this way. But how do we take healthier approaches to addressing our trauma, addressing our depression? Really, how do we deal with that in a more healthy way, in a more productive way, and moving away from the drugs? Now, we talked last time about, do we enjoy a pot of beans or do we enjoy canned beans?
Angelo Sandoval
So recovery is that crock pot of beans. It’s that working through the process, understanding your life experiences, making sense of them. And then at some point, coming to peace with those bad things. Not that you’re forgetting them, not that you’re ignoring it, but just coming to peace that it’s happened and now we’re going to heal and move forward.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. I guess you achieve that by several counseling sessions. That’s where she still comes in. Then if you do have mental health providers as well or recommend them to?
Angelo Sandoval
Right now for Porch Light, I’m the only mental health licensed clinical provider. We are looking for some more therapists. If anyone out there knows a therapist is looking for a job, we are hiring. But yes, what I’ve learned in my experience working in this field is that a lot of people in long-term recovery say that about two years of solid therapy is the minimum. That’s solid every week, groups, AA, NA, spiritual support, working with your doctor. So it’s about two years of solid support because addiction doesn’t start overnight. You don’t drink a beer today and become an addict tomorrow. It’s a process that can take sometimes a couple of weeks, sometimes a couple of months, sometimes a couple of years before you actually become truly addicted. So if it was a process to get there, then it’s a process to get out of it. So, yeah, therapy can go anywhere from once a week with the therapist in a couple of groups, one group, maybe several groups a week. Every plan is tailored individually to the needs of the patient.
KDCE Newsradio
Yeah, and every patient. It’s different, right? Everybody’s there. Alcoholism, you say that was what was around when you were growing up, and me as well. Is alcoholism still a major problem, or has it been overcome by some of this fentanyl and opioid problem, or what is the biggest issue here, especially in Río Ariba County, do you So alcohol is that constant.
Angelo Sandoval
It’s pretty constant. But what happens a lot of times, especially with with with heroine addicts, when they become sober, then many times they substitute and now they turn to alcohol because it’s not their drug of choice. So they start indulging in alcohol because at the chemical level, alcohol gives you something similar to heroine in the context that it numbs you, gives you a sense of numb, right? And that’s all It just numbs your body from pain. Well, alcohol makes you feel numb, maybe not necessarily in the same fashion, but in how the body interpreters it, it’s the same. So what they do is alcohol always becomes the go-to because it’s the legal substance. It’s like, Well, it’s legal. I can drink. But when we look at substance use, we’re not looking at if it’s legal or illegal. We’re looking at how are you using it? Because sugar, you can become addicted to sugar and destroy your body just the same, and you develop diabetes. It’s not really so much what you’re using or it’s legality or illegality. It’s how does it impact your life? That’s the big question. How is it impacting your life? How is it destroying your life?
Angelo Sandoval
That’s really the big question.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. You mentioned a couple of years minimum as one of the treatments. I guess if someone is thinking about entering your program, they have to be ready for treatment, right? It’s going to be a long haul. You’re not going to walk in today and think you’re cured tomorrow, right?
Angelo Sandoval
Right. Yeah. It’s a process. And yes, the person has to be ready to enter into this process because it’s not a simple process. It’s not an easy process. For some people, it can be a very painful process because now they’re in a position where they have to face the very pains and sufferings that they’re trying to mask or hide through the drugs. And so for a lot of people, they’re just afraid to face those things. And granted, it makes total sense. It makes total sense. But at some point, we all have to make a decision. Do I want to live in this misery, in numbness, or do I want to face my pain and then have a fruitful life? But us as family members also have a responsibility in how we support our family members. We’re always quick to accuse of using rather than try and find out how they’re feeling, what they’re going through. More checking in rather than making an accusation. Yeah, if you think your family members are still using or relapsing, instead of accusing them of relapsing, we should be more like, Hey, what’s going on today? I noticed that you’re not feeling well.
Angelo Sandoval
I noticed that you’re not really… Yesterday, you were behaving this way. Today, you’re this way. What’s going on? It’s more about the support rather than just, Oh, you keep, you keep, you keep, you don’t change, you don’t change. Change is a difficult process, and it’s a lifelong… Recovery is a lifelong journey, not a destination. When we talk about two years minimum, we’re talking about a two year minimum journey of dealing with problems and facing problems, but you still have to manage those problems until your natural death. It’s a journey, and we have to approach it from a journey perspective rather than a destination perspective.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. I guess that’s where the compassionate part comes in and just supporting them instead of pointing the finger. Exactly. You should be more compassionate and try to understand what’s going on.
Angelo Sandoval
Because you do lose your… There’s a loss of dignity that comes with substance abuse. There’s a loss of dignity. And being compassionate means that we’re helping them restore that dignity. And love is harsh sometimes, and there’s a misunderstanding of substance use because substance use starts with a choice. Everybody agrees that. We all start by making a choice to party or whatever. But when you fall into the dependency and addiction phase, there’s so many layers of what’s happening in the brain, in the rest of the body, your hormones, your brain’s chemical composition. There’s just so many other things that are going to play, and you just can’t stop. You just can’t stop. It’s not that simple. It’s a process to stop.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. If I decide today, I may be interested in seeking help, how do I find a port light?
Angelo Sandoval
If you’re in the Espanola area, the Río Riva area, we are right next to a lot of burger, 610 Kyivahil. We’re right next to a lot of burger.
KDCE Newsradio
And there’s a sign that says port light?
Angelo Sandoval
Yeah, there’s a sign that says sports light, and then there’s a sign on the side of the road, and then there’s one in the building. We’re right next to a lot of burger at the old WEC office, so we’re right there. There’s two basic ways. One is you can come in as a walk-in. We’ll take you in. We’ll fit you in that day. Except for Mondays. Mondays, the MET part is closed. You can still come in. We’ll fill your paperwork, but then you’ll come on a Tuesday or after to see the medical provider. Behavioral Health is the only part that’s open on Mondays. But nonetheless, you come in, we can either do a walk in or you can schedule whatever benefits your situation.
KDCE Newsradio
Or call in. You can call in, right?
Angelo Sandoval
The other one is you can call in. Let me correct. The last time I was here, I said it was 855. No, it’s 866 M-A-T-S-T-A-T. I added a five instead of sixes. So Matt STAT.
KDCE Newsradio
What does that stand for?
Angelo Sandoval
Mat is Medically Assisted Treatment. Stat is a medical term for now.
KDCE Newsradio
Sometimes in the hospital, you hear STAT.
Angelo Sandoval
Stat means it’s right now. M-a-t, right now. That’s what MAT, STAT, stands for.
KDCE Newsradio
We talked that the last time you were here, that you accept Medicaid and all types of insurances, but that money is not an issue. You said the last time that you were here.
Angelo Sandoval
Yes. We’ll work with you to find a way to help pay for services. There’s always options that we can work through. We do sliding scales. We’ll work with you. We’ll figure something out. Just come in, let us get you started. We’ll figure that out. Once you get there, we’ll find a way to help make sure you get the support you need. All right.
KDCE Newsradio
There’s also your website. You have the information on your website, right?
Angelo Sandoval
Yes. At porcelighthealth.com, we have all our All the services, the addresses to all our locations. Again, for those in the Rua Riba, Española area, we have the clinic in Española. But let’s say you’re in the farming 10 corner of the world, we have a clinic over there. In Alburquerque, so that general area of a Burquerque, we have an office there, and that’s in Encino Plaza. Then we have one Las Cruces for Southern New Mexico. But the cool thing is, though, we also have Telehealth, so we can actually work with you for Telehealth. Unfortunately, though, if you do require injections, you do have to come in to the closest office to you because you have to be there for those ones.
KDCE Newsradio
The last time you were here, you mentioned the house clinic, but that’s a little different. I bring that up because we do have a lot of listeners in Tau’s.
Angelo Sandoval
Yeah. Our Tau’s clinic, that one focuses more supporting one of the inpatient programs in there. Okay. Because what we’re seeing a lot with some of the inpatient programs that they’re doing detox or they’re supporting, especially, opiate people with the Suboxone program or the Sublucate program, which is the injection to help cover them. We partner with Oye and we partner with, I think, I don’t remember the name of the one in Taos, but we partner with them to support the inpatient clients.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. But the one here in Espanola, Portuasite, is an outpatient, so you’re not going to be housed there, right? No. You don’t have any facilities to house people.
Angelo Sandoval
No. Portuasite is 100% outpatient. But again, we do partner with inpatient programs to support those clients. We support the clients while they’re in there, but then they have a place to come after they’re done with the inpatient. Because inpatient is where they get stabilized. We maintain that stabilized state. We continue supporting what they started in inpatient.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. So you might walk in there, you won’t be housed there, but you might be recommended to go to one of the inpatient centers, right?
Angelo Sandoval
Definitely. If we feel that, or not feel, but If we determine, based on your assessment, that residential treatment is the bearer starting off point, then we’re going to make that recommendation.
Sixto Aguirre
Just like Angelo was saying, this month is recovery month. This is the best time to try it out, check it out, go to Porch Light or all the other resources that we have here in Espanola, start that journey.
KDCE Newsradio
All right. We’re out of time, Angelo. Insisto, anything else you want to add before I let you go?
Angelo Sandoval
No, it was just we appreciate the invitation to come and share Coach likes a role in the community to support, to get our community healthy again. We just want to give back to those of them who need support and support families so that families understand how to support their family members better.
KDCE Newsradio
Is your phone number, once again, for people that might be listening and want to call you?
Angelo Sandoval
Our phone number is 866 MAT-STAT.
KDCE Newsradio
What would that be? Mat Stat would be 6 628. I got the Matt part. 866 628.
Angelo Sandoval
It would be 1-866 628-7828.
KDCE Newsradio
Okay. 628-7828. It’s pretty easy, too.
Angelo Sandoval
Yeah, it’s actually a pretty easy number.
KDCE Newsradio
866-628-7828 for Porch Light Health here in the Espanola Valley. Thank you, Angelo. Great to see you. Good luck in your job there. Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
