At a strapping six-foot-four, Eric Lemke might seem intimidating to a patient in a hospital bed, especially someone who’s recovering from a drinking binge, high on opioids, or in withdrawal.

But the first thing Lemke does upon entering the room is ask the patient if he can sit next to them.

“It changes the entire dynamic,” says Lemke, a certified peer support specialist in the emergency department at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque. Lemke says he learned the technique from a psychiatrist, who led a session of the New Mexico Alcohol Use and Mental Health ECHO Program.

Lemke says that when patients feel comfortable with him, they are more likely to be honest about information like when they last had a drink or used opioids—details that could be critical to their treatment. Lemke can also better engage them in learning about their treatment options, including medications, so that they are prepared when they meet with their doctors.

It seems like such a simple thing—making someone who’s vulnerable feel safe—yet Lemke says it’s made a world of difference in how he does the job. ECHO has also helped him change his approach to conversing with patients. He is careful to use language that’s easy to understand and to let his compassion show. As a recovering alcoholic, he knows too well the pain that patients are experiencing.

Lemke became a peer support specialist to help people like himself. It’s a tough job, especially in the emergency department, where people are often admitted under extreme circumstances.

Inclusive Learning Through ECHO

In the ECHO community, he has found a safe, inclusive place where he can learn, share experiences, and work in partnership with doctors, nurses, behavioral health specialists, community health workers, and pharmacists to improve patients’ lives.

The New Mexico Alcohol Use and Mental Health ECHO launched in 2022 to address the state’s high rates of alcohol-related illness and death. Participants from across the state meet online twice a month, learning from expert presenters, case presentation discussions, and—less formally—each other. Program sessions address a range of issues, including: epidemiology, liver disease, medications, neurobiology, prevention, screening and diagnosis, and stigma.

In 2025, more than 160 New Mexican providers attended the ECHO program, potentially benefitting nearly 32,000 local patients. Nearly 100 providers from other parts of the United States also attended.

What Lemke appreciates most about ECHO are the relationships he’s forged with other providers. In the past, he says, he often had difficulty connecting with clinical staff. Now, he’s “treated as part of the team.” In ECHO, he says, “everyone has a voice” and everyone is valued.

In addition, he feels confident referring patients to providers he knows. “You’re more comfortable telling a person that they can go to this provider because you have a sense that the provider really cares.”

Strengthening Communities

Communication among providers outside the ECHO has improved as well, because they function more as a team, Lemke says. Often, doctors and nurses would assume the worst if a patient stopped showing up at the hospital. Because of the relationships established through ECHO, “we’re able to say ‘no, we got that person into rehab, they just got their own apartment, and they’ve started a brand-new job because of the care that you provided here and because you allowed us to do our work.

“We were able to support that person and get them into recovery. The next time you see them, it will be because they have the flu or broke a bone—not because they’re intoxicated or withdrawing.”

Lemke has participated in several ECHO programs, including the ECHOs for opioid use disorder and compassion fatigue. All the programs he’s tried have been beneficial, he says, helping him to build both knowledge and professional relationships.

“ECHO brings people together to try new ideas, see if they work and then share them with everyone else,” Lemke says. “It strengthens the health are system in the state of New Mexico so that we can improve the quality of life of the people we serve.”

To learn more about the New Mexico Alcohol Use and Mental Health ECHO, visit their iECHO page or email the New Mexico Programs Team.

Featured Image: Adobe Stock, licensed December 2025.