Features

Leadership Los Alamos Health & Wellbeing Session Review

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C’YA Executive Director Bernadette Lauritzen leads a discussion during the March 28 Leadership Los Alamos session. Courtesy/LLA

LLA News:

Leadership Los Alamos (LLA) held its Health & Wellbeing session March 28 at the Los Alamos Little Theatre. The engaging event aimed to foster leadership skills and promote community awareness among participants.

The session began with a warm welcome from LLA Board Members, followed by a short breathing exercise designed to center the participants and prepare them for the day ahead. Judith Gordon led the group through their third Leadership Development Read More

What About All Those Ticks Around Town?

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A brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). Courtesy/CDC

A rocky mountain wood tick (Dermacentor andersoni). Courtesy/CDC

COUNTY News:

Why is there an increase in ticks in Los Alamos County?

In Northern NM, an increase in tick populations in 2025 is likely due to several factors:

  • Climate change: Milder winters and earlier springs, due to climate change, allow ticks to survive and reproduce for a longer period, leading to larger populations. Ticks are exotherms, meaning they don’t regulate their internal temperature, so they thrive in warmer conditions. Changes in precipitation patterns
Read More

LAMC Names 2025 Mercy Award Winner: Dianne Vandiver

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Dianne Vandiver, RN

LAMC News:

RN has made incredible contributions and impacts during her 53-year career

Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC) recently announced that Dianne Vandiver, RN, has been recognized as the facility’s 2025 Mercy Award winner.

The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s facilities who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded. The award is considered the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.

Vandiver has been a nurse at Los Alamos Medical Center since March 22, Read More

New Virtual Program Trains Public On Overdose Prevention

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UNM’s Project ECHO News:

ALBUQUERQUE — In a concerted effort to combat the escalating opioid crisis in New Mexico, Project ECHO at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center is partnering with the New Mexico Health Care Authority and Bernalillo County to introduce the Community Opioid Response Education (CORE) program.

The program provides free, virtual training on naloxone administration and harm reduction strategies for everyone in New Mexico, equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to save lives. Any New Mexican who participates can receive free harm reduction Read More

NMDOH: Measles Cases Diagnosed In Sandoval County

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NMDOH News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) confirms the first measles cases in Sandoval County: an adult of unknown vaccination status and an unvaccinated child under the age of four.

People may have been exposed to measles at the following locations, days and times:

 

  • Presbyterian Rust Hospital Emergency Department, 2400 Unser Boulevard SE in Rio Rancho.
    • noon – 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 30
    • 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Sunday, May 11
  • Presbyterian Rust Medical Center Hematology/Oncology Clinic, 2400 Unser Boulevard SE in Rio Rancho.
    • 2 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.,
Read More

LAMC Honored For National Quality Leadership

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Lifepoint Health corporate leadership and LAMC officials gathered at a special celebration on May 9 to recognize LAMC for its continued quality excellence. Back row from left, James McGonnell CFO, Dr. Chris Frost Chief Quality and Medical Officer, David McCullough Division Medical Group Services, Caryn Iverson western Division VP quality, Dávid Loehr, Division Compliance Director, Jason Zachariah Chief Operations Officer LifePoint Health, Jen Aldefer Western Division President; and Tracie Stratton CEO of LAMC. Front row from left, Debra Temple, Chief Nursing Officer LAMC, Mo Jones Read More

NMDOH: Homeless Face Greater Health Risks

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NMDOH News:

SANTA FE — People who are homeless are more likely to get sick, hurt or even die from preventable causes.  

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has published a report titled “A Novel Strategy for Counting Persons Experiencing Homelessness and Describing Their Health Outcomes in New Mexico Healthcare Facilities, 2019–2023.“ The report analyzed statewide hospital data to more accurately estimate the number of people experiencing homelessness (PEH) and to better understand their health conditions. It examined key demographic and clinical factors, including Read More

Scenes Of School Bus And Car Collision On Diamond Drive

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Los Alamos police and firefighters responded to the scene of a school bus and car collision early this afternoon on Diamond Drive near Los Alamos High School. LAPD reports that the bus driver was cited for failure to yield, and the juvenile in the other car was transported to Los Alamos Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries. Courtesy photo 

The school bus involved in a collision with a car early this afternoon on Diamond Drive near Los Alamos High School in which the bus driver was cited for failure to yield, and the juvenile in the other car was transported to Los Alamos Medical Center Read More