Chandler: Healthy Communities – Systemic Approach Needed
By CHRISTINE CHANDLERI am running for the New Mexico House of Representatives, Dist. 43 because I believe that state government can and should play a more effective role in improving citizens’ lives.
One area that I will focus on is improving access to and availability of healthcare including behavioral and addictive treatment and prevention services. With the on-going efforts at the federal level to undermine the Affordable Care Act, one of the biggest challenges that the NM state legislature will face in coming years is to ensure that all New Mexicans have access Read More
Luján Notes Los Alamos County Again Named Healthiest County In New Mexico According To New Rankings
View of Central Avenue in downtown Los Alamos. Courtesy/Los Alamos Commerce & Development Corporation
From the Office of U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
Washington, D.C. – Los Alamos County ranks healthiest in New Mexico, according to the 2018 County Health Rankings, released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
This is the eighth consecutive year that Los Alamos County has been cited as New Mexico’s healthiest county. The full list of rankings is available at www.countyhealthrankings.org.
“Los Alamos Read More
Heinrich Calls For Stronger Investment In Student Health And Safety
U.S. Sen. Martin HeinrichGovernor Signs Two Bills To Protect Sick And Vulnerable
STATE News:LAVNS Daffodil Sales Begin Thursday
Central Park Square volunteers, from left, Caesar Perez, Antonio Medina and Raul Ramirez, prep daffodils for the annual sale to benefit Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Hospice last year. Photo by Jennifer Bartram
LAVNS News:
The Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service (LAVNS) Hospice Program is having its annual “Daffodils for Hospice” sale. Proceeds from the sale support the Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Hospice program for terminally ill individuals.
The community may order a glass vase with three bunches (30 stems) of daffodils for $20, a glass vase with two bunch for $15 or a single Read More
HDA Statement On Review Of Annual Production Quotas For Opioids
HDA President and CEO John M. Gray Dancing Stars Gala: Elegant Evening Of Competitive Dancing To Benefit Alzheimer’s Disease Research
The Annual Dancing Stars Gala returns to Albuquerque April 14. Courtesy photo
ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATIONS News:
ALBUQUERQUE – The Alzheimer’s Association, New Mexico Chapter is pleased to announce the 8th Annual Dancing Stars Gala will return to Albuquerque.
The Dancing Stars Gala is a competitive fundraiser, featuring local celebrities and community leaders who raise money for important Alzheimer’s research by learning how to dance over the course of months, fundraising, then competing against each other on the night of the Gala.
The event Read More
Learn About Down Syndrome
Courtesy photo
CDC News:
What is Down Syndrome?
Down syndrome is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome. Chromosomes are small “packages” of genes in the body. They determine how a baby’s body forms during pregnancy and how the baby’s body functions as it grows in the womb and after birth.
Typically, a baby is born with 23 pairs of chromosomes. Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of one of these chromosomes, chromosome 21. A medical term for having an extra copy of a chromosome is ‘trisomy’. Down syndrome also is referred to as Trisomy 21. This extra copy changes how the baby’s Read More
Los Alamos Heart Council Presents Free Community Seminar March 6
Luján Hosts Medicaid Buy-In Roundtable
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
From the Office of U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján:
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) hosted a Medicaid Buy-In Roundtable Tuesday between representatives from the New Mexico State Legislature and some of the most prominent healthcare policy experts in the country.
Earlier this year, the New Mexico state legislature passed a Memorial that directed the New Mexico Legislative Health and Human Services (LHHS) Committee to study the policy and fiscal implications of offering a Medicaid Buy-In plan. Luján’s intended this Roundtable to assist New Mexico in developing Read More
Pre Order Daffodils With LAVNS
Laura Crucet Hamilton, owner of Pig + Fig Bakery and Café in White Rock, accepts a display vase of daffodils from Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Social Worker Collette Fordham, in support of the LAVNS fundraiser for hospice last year. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
LAVNS News:
The Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Hospice Program is having its annual “Daffodils for Hospice” sale.
Proceeds from the sale support the Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service Hospice program for terminally ill individuals. Daffodil pre-orders are being taken now through Read More
Luján Questions UnitedHealth Group CEO Over Refusal To Cover Emergency Room Visits For Some Patients
U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
From the Office of U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) this week sent a letter to the CEO of one of the nation’s largest insurance companies, UnitedHealth Group, to inquire about his company’s policy of declining to cover emergency room visits that UnitedHealth determines to be “non-emergent” after the fact.
Health advocates have expressed concern about the policy that UnitedHealth and other insures have adopted regarding emergency room visits. Under these policies, UnitedHealth will review diagnoses after members’ Read More
Heinrich, Balderas Partner With New Mexicans On Frontlines To Combat Opioid Epidemic
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas at an event Friday to highlight the existing funding gaps and need for resources on the ground to combat the opioid epidemic in New Mexico. Courtesy photo
U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich and New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas at an event Friday to highlight the existing funding gaps to combat the opioid epidemic in New Mexico. Courtesy photo
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:
SANTA FE – At an event Friday at CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center in Santa Fe, U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) Read More
Students Should Travel Safely On Spring Break 2018
Teens on spring break. Courtesy photo
CDC News:
Wherever your travels take you this spring break, stay healthy and safe with these tips from CDC Travelers’ Health.
As March approaches, many spring breakers will be looking forward to sunny destinations and a long week of relaxation. Some may travel to tropical hot spots, like Cancun or islands in the Caribbean, while others may opt for bustling cities, like Amsterdam or Bangkok. Not all spring break destinations are created equal: Some have specific health risks that you should be aware of.
Before you go
- Find out about vaccines needed and any other
Share Family Health History Of Heart Disease
CDC News:
Each year in the United States, over 610,000 people die from heart disease. Some medical conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes, and lifestyle factors, such as an unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, and smoking, can make you more likely to develop heart disease. In addition, having close blood relatives with heart disease can make you more likely to get heart disease.
If you have a family health history of heart disease, collect information on your relatives with heart disease, including what age they were diagnosed. This is especially important if Read More
Crowd Packs UnQuarked To Hear About ATHENA
LANL scientist Jennifer Harris discusses the ATHENA project during Wednesday evening’s Science on Tap event at Unquarked in Central Park Square. Courtesy photo
A crowd packs Unquarked in Central Park Square Wendesday evening the hear about the ATHENA project underway at LANL. Courtesy photo
LANL’s ATHENA is designed to simulate organ systems such as liver, heart, lung and kidney. Courtesy photo
Creative District News:
Despite snowy weather conditions Wednesday night, more than 50 people attended the Science On Tap to hear Jennifer Harris talk about the ATHENA project Read More
Free Community Seminar For Heart Month March 6
HEART COUNCIL News:
In honor of Heart Month, the Los Alamos Heart Council is hosting a free community seminar by Dr. Kayvan Ellini of the Presbyterian Heart Group.
The seminar is 5:30 p.m., March 6 at First Baptist Church, 2200 Diamond Dr.
The objectives of the seminar, Fantastic Journey Through Your Heart: New ways to Treat Heart Disease include:
- Innovations in devices for treatment of heart disease;
- Advances in medicines and minimally invasive procedures; and
- Outlook for improved cardiac treatment outcomes.
A complimentary dinner will be served. Preregistration by March Read More
Science On Tap: ATHENA & Surrogate Human Organs
Creative District News:
New drugs are under constant development but most fail in clinical trials. Why do so many drugs pass animal testing, but fail in Phase 1 clinical trials in humans? Are animal models of human diseases ultimately really a good model for humans?
Enter ATHENA. ATHENA, which stands for Advanced Tissue-engineered Human External Network Analyzer, is designed to simulate organ systems (such as liver, heart, lung, and kidney) and can be used as a first-line test for potential toxicity analysis since the system can mimic the response of actual human organs. Such Read More
LAPS Celebrates ‘Amazing’ Guidance Counselors
A balloon toss was one activity that counselors used as a ‘Brain Break’ to relieve stress during finals week at Los Alamos High School. Courtesy/LAPS
Los Alamos Public Schools is brimming with amazing and dedicated employees, but school guidance counselors and clinical counselors have an especially important role in helping LAPS students grow and succeed.
In order to help the Los Alamos community better understand their unique contribution, LAPS wants to honor and recognize those who work tirelessly to support students, Read More
Cold Versus Flu: Questions & Answers
CDC News:
What is the difference between a cold and the flu?
The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu.
People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Read More
