Vitalant Blood Drive At Los Alamos Senior Center March 3
LARSO News:
How do you become a superhero in your own neck of the woods? Come visit the “sandwich ladies” for the first ever blood drive held 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Friday, March 3 at the Betty Ehart Senior Center.
The best news is “the sandwich ladies are back”. The loving moniker of the lunch ladies was bestowed upon the Los Alamos Volunteer Association or RSVP volunteers many years ago. As the pandemic took over the relationship had to take a backseat.
Prior to COVID, the sandwich ladies were known for their egg salad and the original recipe will be strictly followed by LARSO staff to attempt a continuity Read More
New Mexico Lawmakers Have Many Ideas To Address Behavioral Health Crisis But Lack Coordination
Sen. Jerry Ortiz y Piño
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
The initiatives look promising on paper.
One bill would create a $10 million fund to fill vacant behavioral health provider positions. Another calls for $20 million to provide substance abuse treatment for homeless people. A third would give law enforcement the right to take people displaying signs of a mental health crisis to a triage center rather than jail.
Lawmakers have introduced more than two dozen bills aimed at addressing behavioral health, mental health and substance abuse problems — initiatives advocates say would aid Read More
New Mexico Independent Medical Providers Say Rising Malpractice Cap Threatens To Shut Them Down
Gabrielle M. Adams, M.D.
By ROBERT NOTT and DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican
Clad in her white medical coat, Dr. Gabrielle Adams moved through the halls of the state Capitol, hoping to talk to any lawmaker she could find.
“I’ve been walking around trying to grab people,” said Adams, president of Albuquerque-based Southwest Gastroenterology.
Her goal was to persuade lawmakers to approve a bill that would cap medical malpractice payouts at $750,000 for independent outpatient health care facilities that are not majority-owned by a hospital.
If Senate Bill 296 fails, several providers Read More
New Mexico Center On Law And Poverty: Ask Legislators To Pass HB 400 ‘Medicaid Forward’
Courtesy/New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
By New Mexico Center on Law and Poverty
- Contact House Health and Human Services Committee members this weekend
We all deserve access to high quality, affordable healthcare. But for far too long, New Mexico families have been forced to delay or go without the medical care they need because healthcare is too expensive. This legislative session, our state has a historic opportunity to open up the Medicaid program and ensure every New Mexican has access to affordable care.
Medicaid is a robust, comprehensive program that already provides high-quality Read More
DEA On Proposed Rules For Permanent Telemedicine Flexibilities Beyond Scheduled End Of COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
- Telemedicine prescriptions must be otherwise consistent with applicable state and federal laws. Courtesy/DEA
DEA News:
- DEA extends many telemedicine flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 PHE with appropriate safeguards
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Drug Enforcement Administration announced Friday proposed permanent rules for the prescribing of controlled medications via telemedicine, expanding patient access to critical therapies beyond the scheduled end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
The public will be able to comment for 30 days on the proposed rules.
The proposed Read More
Op-Ed: New Mexico Bill Poised To Make Meaningful Special Education Changes
Contributors to this Op-Ed:
Joel Davis, NM Developmental Disability Council Chair & parent, Katie Stone, NMDD Council Vice-chair & parent, Jennifer D. Sanchez, CFPSW NMDD Council Secretary & parent, Valentín Anaya, NMDD Council Treasurer, & parent, John Arango NMDD Council Past Chair & parent
By NMDD Council Members:
HB 285, the Special Education Act, begins the process of transformation long overdue in special education and will ultimately improve the outcomes for disabled students statewide. It’s about time.
- Only 64% of students receiving special education
New Mexico Paid Medical Leave Bill Heads To Full Senate
Sen. William Burt
By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
Santa Fe New Mexican
A contentious proposal that would entitle employees in New Mexico to up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave is headed to the full Senate for what promises to be a hard-fought debate on the floor.
Senate Bill 11 narrowly made it out of the Senate Finance Committee on a 6-5 vote Thursday after a 3½-hour hearing that drew stiff opposition to the measure from Republicans.
“It’s an undue burden on small business,” Sen. William Burt, (R-Alamogordo). “It’s a tax on small business.”
Sen. George Muñoz, (D-Gallup), who chairs the committee, Read More
Leonard: Cracked Pot Parable And Being A Perfectionist
By LAURA LEONARD
Doctor of Chiropractic
Los Alamos
The story of the cracked pot is the third and final parable in my series on gratitude, optimism and learning how to let go of thinking patterns that chip away at our well-being.
The first parable I covered was that of the Chinese farmer.
This story teaches us to view life events as neither good nor bad because the ripple effects of these events are usually different than we expect. For the farmer, his horse ran away only to return with another horse by its side. While the other villagers said this was bad and were feeling sorry for him, the optimistic farmer Read More
New Mexico Increase In Alcohol Excise Tax Stumbles
Rep. Derrick J. Lente
By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican
An effort to increase New Mexico’s alcohol excise tax for the first time in 30 years — a measure intended to help the state rein in a problem that takes the lives of more than six people a day — stumbled Monday when the House Taxation and Revenue Committee unanimously voted to table the bill.
House Bill 230 calls for a flat 25-cent tax per serving, starting in July — a hefty change from tax rates that now range from a high of 15.5 cents for a serving of “fortified wine” to a low of 0.4 cents for a serving of spirits by a craft distiller that has sold less Read More
Unions Celebrate Committee Passage Of HB 236 To Establish Process For Safe Staffing Levels In New Mexico’s Hospital Settings
AFT NM News:
SANTA FE – National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, District 1199NM Executive Director, HB 236 Sponsor Rep. Eleanor Chavez, District 1199NM President James Ortiz and American Federation of Teachers New Mexico (AFT NM) President Whitney Holland issued the following statement Monday celebrating House Bill 236’s advancement thorough the House Health and Human Services Committee:
“Our unions are celebrating the passage of House Bill 236 through its first committee, the House Health and Human Services Committee on a unanimous vote. House Bill 236 would begin the Read More
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth Tests Positive For COVID
Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth
STATE News:
SANTA FE – New Mexico State Senate Majority Leader Peter Wirth tested positive for COVID-19 over the weekend.
Per state and CDC guidance and protocol, Sen. Wirth is isolating at home. According to current senate rules, Sen. Wirth may continue participating in floor sessions and committee meetings remotely.
Senate Majority Whip Michael Padilla will be running the floor sessions in the senate chamber until Sen. Wirth returns.
Sen. Wirth issued the following statement:
“Thankfully, I am experiencing only mild symptoms after being fully vaccinated Read More
New Mexico Human Services Department Awards Contract To Conduent For Medicaid Management Information System
STATE News:
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Conduent Incorporated, a global technology-led business process solutions company, has announced that it has been selected by the New Mexico Human Services Department (NMHSD) to deliver a new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) to replace the agency’s existing system.
Conduent’s Medicaid Suite (CMdS), a modular, cloud-based technology platform, will create a seamless experience for providers and improve access for approximately one million state Medicaid members.
Conduent will manage the system implementation, and provide maintenance Read More
New Mexico Medical Society Physician Shortage Summary
By Mihaela Bujoi, MD
President
New Mexico Medical Society
Editor’s note: New Mexico Medical Society (NMMS) Mihaela Bujoi, MD, wrote the following summary to members of the NMMS on the physicians work force shortage crisis in New Mexico and some of the steps being taken to bring awareness to that crisis.
Dear Medical Society Friends,
Over the last two weeks, the physicians work force shortage crisis has received some fantastic media coverage! Thank you to all the physicians who have written to newspapers, appeared in news reports, interviewed with editorial boards, and given background data Read More
Biden Announces End To Twin Emergency Declarations
COUNTY News:
President Joe Biden has announced the end of the twin emergency declarations, WHO discusses the pandemic at a “transition point” and CDC launches a COVID-19 free testing locator site.
Read about these topics and get an update on the status of COVID-19 in Los Alamos County in this week’s COVID-19 Community Newsletter here. Read More
Gruninger: Retrain Posture With Gentle Somatic Movement
Retrain your brain, keep an eye on your posture and practice repetition to improve posture. Courtesy image
By JACCI GRUNINGER, MS, C-IAYT, ERYT
Los Alamos
Poor posture is a common problem for everyone whether you work at a desk, drive a car, use computer, phone and tablet devices or just sit for long periods of time vegging out. In addition, we can add stress, injuries, athletics and more to the list. Poor posture is usually due to certain muscles being tight and our losing control over them (muscle amnesia).
In addition to repetitive movements and habits tightening muscles, as we age we also lose Read More
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Announces Legislation To Rename HSD The Health Care Authority Department
STATE News:
SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham Tuesday announced the introduction of legislation that renames the Human Services Department (HSD) as the Health Care Authority Department with the purpose of establishing a single, unified department responsible for health care purchasing, regulation, and policy.
The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Elizabeth “Liz” Stefanics and Rep. Elizabeth “Liz” Thomson.
“My priority continues to be to deliver high quality health care for New Mexicans at an affordable price,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “Consolidating purchasing, oversight and Read More
New Mexico House Bill 292 To Let Firefighters Use Medical Cannabis Off-Duty Gets Off To Hot Start Friday
The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo
By DANIEL J. CHACON
The Santa Fe New Mexican
A bill to make it easier for New Mexico firefighters to use medical marijuana legally got off to a hot start Friday.
House Bill 292 would narrow the definition of “safety-sensitive position” in the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act, which governs the state’s medical cannabis program.
As proposed, the definition would only include employees who are required to carry a firearm or operate a vehicle with a commercial driver’s license and “whose performance under the influence of drugs or alcohol would constitute Read More
U.S. Senators Luján, Murphy Reintroduce Legislation To Combat Public Health Misinformation
From the Office of U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján:
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, on Wednesday announced reintroduction of legislation to counter the threat that misinformation and disinformation pose to public health.
The Promoting Public Health Information Act would support efforts across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and with outside stakeholders to communicate effectively during a public health emergency and address Read More
Happy Valentine’s Day From Los Alamos Family Eyecare
By LISA SHIN, O.D.
Los Alamos Family Eyecare
Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a wonderful time to celebrate the people we love and cherish. Years ago, when I was single, one of my good friends invited me to a Valentine’s Dinner with her husband and her daughters. I asked, “Don’t you want to be alone with your husband on Valentine’s Day?” She answered, “You are a special friend and part of this family!” Her hospitality and thoughtfulness meant so much to me, and I’ll never forget it. So if you know someone who will be alone this Valentine’s Day, please reach out with kindness!
We have been very busy since Read More
Adolescent Partial Hospitalization Program Coming Soon To Española
Peak Behavioral Health News:
Peak Behavioral Health is opening a new Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) for patients ages 12 to 17. Peak’s PHP is for adolescents who do not require the intensity of a hospital setting but are experiencing struggles with their emotional or behavioral health.
The purpose of this program is to provide a higher level of care than traditional outpatient programming and avoid inpatient hospitalization.
“We saw a great need in this community for this level of behavioral health treatment,” Peak Chief Executive Officer Sandra Emanuel said. “Our PHP allows adolescents Read More
