Albuquerque’s OEP Team Guides Mother from Addiction to Recovery
ACS team helps pregnant woman reconnect with her support system
ALBUQUERQUE – Two years ago, Elsie Defoore was unhoused, pregnant, and struggling with a fentanyl addiction. Today, she is sober, and raising a healthy young son. Her journey from the streets of Albuquerque to a stable life in Texas began with a single connection: a peer support specialist from Albuquerque Community Safety’s (ACS) Opioid Education and Prevention (OEP) team who refused to give up.
Elsie’s path into addiction began long before she reached adulthood. After her family lost stable employment and faced housing instability, Elsie began using heroin at age of 14. By 18, fentanyl had taken hold. While her family eventually returned to their hometown in Texas, Elsie remained in Albuquerque, disconnected from her support system and living without a home.
The turning point came in May 2023. Following a referral from ACS Behavioral Health Responders, ACS Certified Peer Support Worker Denise Thomas located a then 22-year-old Elsie at a park near University and Menaul. At the time, Elsie was three months pregnant and actively using. For three weeks, Thomas showed up every day, not just to address basic needs, but to offer a radical sense of hope.
“She was pregnant, in an unhealthy relationship, using fentanyl, and I knew we had to focus on hope,” said ACS Peer Support Worker, Denise Thomas. “Every day I reminded her that she and her baby deserved more. When the opportunity came to return home, we made sure she was ready.”
Thomas coordinated Elsie’s entry into a Subutex treatment program and secured a bus ticket to reunite her with her family in Texas. Even as she prepared to leave, Elsie grappled with the pain of leaving her partner behind. Thomas remained a constant anchor, encouraging her to board the bus and maintaining contact with Elsie’s family until she arrived safely in Texas.
Now 25, Elsie credits the change in environment and the relentless encouragement from ACS for saving her life.
“ACS saved my life and gave me an opportunity I didn’t know was possible,” said Elsie. “I’d probably be dead if I never met Denise. I’m blessed. If someone offers you help, you have to give it a chance — you never know what life will become.”
The success of the OEP team highlights the city’s commitment to trauma-informed, community-based intervention.
“Albuquerque Community Safety meets people where they are and offers real pathways to recovery,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “Denise’s dedication and Elsie’s courage show what’s possible when our community comes together to save lives.”
ACS’s OEP team supports individuals and families affected by opioid use by providing overdose follow-up, education on prevention and treatment, and pathways to recovery. If you or someone you know can benefit from the services, please contact us [email protected].
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About Albuquerque Community Safety
Albuquerque Community Safety is the City of Albuquerque’s third branch of public safety. Responders take calls for service involving behavioral health, substance use, and other non-criminal and non-medical issues. Request an ACS Responder by calling 911 for emergencies and 311 for non-emergencies.