Positive Outcomes serves families to the AZ border

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Chieftain looks at a female-forward business that nurtures the state.

On the hot day in July 1999 when Tara Jaramillo resolved to start her own business, Positive Outcomes, she had no idea how big or far reaching her vision would become.

As a single mother of a child recently diagnosed with autism, all Jaramillo knew was that she wanted to create something that would focus on early childhood intervention and serve special-needs youth like her daughter.

At the time, she dreamed of serving communities from Socorro all the way to the Arizona border. Today she has accomplished that and more, becoming something of a community matriarch. The short list of her accomplishments include being a speech language pathologist, business woman and member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, during which time she helped introduce the Children’s Advocacy Bill that passed last year and will provide $500,000 in 2025 to create and staff the Office of Child Advocate.

“I never really set out to do that,” Jaramillo said. “But I’m grateful to have seen it [happen].”

Headquartered in Socorro, Positive Outcomes serves communities within a 100 mile range of the city, including, Torrence, Valencia, Bernalillo, Sierra, and Catron counties. The company has grown into five departments, each of which is currently run by a female director.

“I believe because we are in health care, that we’re naturally drawn to giving, and since we are in that giving field, which is early intervention and working with children and nurturing, that it just lends itself to females working here and females working as teachers,” Jaramillo said. “Many of us are retired teachers or former teachers, so then it lends itself to our ability to use that caregiving, nurturing instinct. We’re also very service oriented as a group, and male or female, you’ll find that here at Positive Outcomes.”

The organization’s largest department is Personal Care Services, which is directed by Elizabeth Ware. When an individual signs up for Medicaid their managed care organization can do an assessment on whether they need in-home care, and if so provide a list of caregiver agencies they can choose from, including Positive Outcomes. Under the Consumer Direct Care Network of New Mexico individuals can choose their own caregiver, such as a relative. If the patient selects Positive Outcomes as their agency, Positive Outcomes will support the caregiver as their employer of record.

Ware started working at Positive Outcomes in 2013 as a teacher in their staff daycare. Today the daycare has blossomed into the Early Childhood Center, directed by Odelia Baca, and provides care to 84 kiddos from the community ranging from newborn to five years old.

The Early Childhood Center oversees the Alberta Academy, which offers three New Mexico Pre K classrooms, two-year-old classrooms and an infant room. The academy was named for Alberta Rivera, a relative of Jaramillo who cared for and fostered over 100 special needs children.

The academy also houses a community garden that the preschool students help maintain.

“We started it last year. They grow everything in house hydroponically, and then they work their way outside,” CEO Frank Márquez, said. “Last year they grew cucumbers, grapes, tomatoes, apples, everything they could want. It started as just a garden, and it turned into a whole science project. They were watching caterpillars make cocoons. There was a lot of pride with the kids and we got to send them home with food.”

Carmen Márquez directs the physical therapy outpatient clinic and is one of two physical therapy assistants on staff. The clinic also offers occupational and speech therapy. Aside from Márquez, the clinic has one other physical therapy assistant, Maribel Contreras, and two physical therapists, Melissa Edmondson and Rachel Maestas.

“A lot of our care is directly one on one care, and we’re really patient center based, so hands on, one on one therapy,” Carmen Márquez said. “We see families throughout their entire lifespan. So we’ve had infants, and our oldest patient was 102.”

She said that one of their focuses is addressing the opioid epidemic by working with people who experience chronic pain.

Directed by Cindy Quinn, the Casa de Luz Family Advocacy Center is contracted through CYFD and provides in-home services in Socorro, Catron and Sierra counties that include family counseling, educational workshops, legal advocacy and crisis intervention.

The Alberta House Early Intervention Department is run by Shelbi Goret and provides in-home services to babies ages zero to three in the form of speech therapy, developmental services, social work and more.

Positive Outcomes is also an active part of the community, sponsoring and volunteering for the Socorro Chile Harvest Triathlon, as well as providing scholarships to graduating seniors, and investing in their staff’s continuing education.

“It’s a family organization, and I’ll basically be here forever,” Carmen Márquez, who obtained her degree in organizational leadership through the company. “That investment into the employees themselves is an investment into the community.”

Marquez said, who obtained her degree in organizational leadership through the company. “That investment into the employees themselves is an investment into the community.”