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Officials involved in a state-backed mental health care initiative for veterans say families of service members will also benefit.

The New Mexico Veteran and Family Support Services program gave itself the gala treatment Thursday at its headquarters in the Rio Rancho Family Health Center on Unser Boulevard.

About 100 people attended, including Lt. Gov. Diane Denish.

Officials said the program, launched this year with a $570,000 state appropriation, is designed to provide another "front door" for veterans seeking psychological help.

The program contracts for psychological and psychiatric care through the Presbyterian Medical System and provides those services free, said Dr. Ted Testa, director of behavioral health for Presbyterian.

Though it will try to funnel patients to services already available, including those offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, it also offers a full range of in-house psychiatric care, Testa said.

State Department of Veterans Services Secretary John Garcia said the program was the first of its kind in the country and was part of a larger effort to care for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, who are estimated to number 15,000 in the state.

As many as a third of returning veterans suffer from some form of post-traumatic stress disorder, according to some estimates.

"They cannot afford to wait to get help," Garcia said.

The program began operating in mid-October and has about 30 clients, officials said.

Its relationship with the VA is somewhat complicated. Although officials said they would try to steer veterans toward VA programs, some said the program was also partly a recognition of the fact that many veterans remain reluctant to seek help through the VA.

"There are some who don't want to go to the VA," Testa said.

The program would also provide a broader menu of services to the families of service members than those offered by the VA, including care for the families of New Mexico National Guard members deployed overseas, he said.

George Marnell, director of behavioral health for the VA medical system in New Mexico, said he welcomed the addition of the new program, especially in a rural state where the VA struggles to reach all veterans.

"One of our big challenges is projecting care across such a large geography," he said. "We hope it will bring more people into the system."

The Rio Rancho location was chosen because Sandoval County has the highest percentage of veterans in the state, officials said, and because of its proximity to Albuquerque.

The Family Health Center has eight staff members. Most of the therapists are veterans themselves.