Features

NMDOH: Curry County Skunk Tests Positive For Rabies

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Skunk. Courtesy/wikipedia

NMDOH News:

SANTA FE — A skunk found in Clovis has tested positive for rabies, marking the first confirmed case of the virus in New Mexico this year, health officials report.

Rabies is a deadly virus that affects mammals, including wildlife such as skunks, bats and foxes in New Mexico. 

“Rabies is uncommon in household pets like dogs and cats – because responsible pet owners make sure their animals are up to date on their rabies boosters,” said Dr. Erin Phipps, state public health veterinarian for the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH). “Rabies vaccination is the Read More

Interstate Compacts To Help Ease New Mexico’s Health Care Worker Shortage Are Stuck In Committees

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The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Post file photo

By MARGARET Ó’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

New Mexico is very close to joining all 10 major medical provider compacts. 

Lawmakers have proposed several bills this session to join those compacts, allowing a freer exchange of working doctors, audiologists and speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, counselors, psychologists, physician assistants, social workers and emergency medical technicians between New Mexico and other states. 

The biggest one — a compact that would significantly ease the process for doctors Read More

Veterinarian Loan Repayment Heads To Governor’s Desk

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NMHED News:

SANTA FE — A bill to create a veterinary medicine loan repayment program is headed to the governor’s desk after passage by the New Mexico House and Senate. 

Senate Bill 8 provides student loan debt relief to veterinarians who commit to practicing in the state of New Mexico. The bill is tailored toward food animal veterinary care to ensure that livestock receive a higher standard of care.  

Veterinarians who commit to providing full-time veterinary services for a minimum of four years in specific underserved counties across New Mexico may apply. 

Many rural and frontier areas in New Read More

Los Alamos Fire Department To Conduct Specialized Scenario-based Training At Aquatics Center March 24-29

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LAFD News:

The Los Alamos Fire Department (LAFD), in collaboration with multiple agencies, will be conducting specialized, scenario-based training focused on responding to a drowning victim at the Los Alamos County Aquatic Center.

This critical training exercise will take place March 24-29 and will involve LAFD personnel, Los Alamos County (LAC) Dispatchers, lifeguards and emergency room physicians from Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC).

The public should not be alarmed by the presence of emergency personnel at the Aquatic Center.

These sessions will take place during normal pool operating Read More

Health Care Authority To Equip All ISD Offices With Narcan

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HCA News:

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) is making naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, available in every Income Support Division (ISD) office and training staff to help prevent opioid overdoses and save lives. 

“ISD offices help people across New Mexico, including those and their loved ones who may be at risk of an opioid overdose,” said Kari Armijo, cabinet secretary of the Health Care Authority. “By providing naloxone in every ISD office and training staff, we are making life-saving resources more available to communities that need them most.” 

To strengthen overdose Read More

Los Alamos County Social Services Division Announces New Community-Based ‘Train-The-Trainer’ Opportunity For Mental Health And Well-Being

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COUNTY News:

The Los Alamos County Social Services Division has announced the launch of a new “train-the-trainer” opportunity in collaboration with the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides (ANFT).

ANFT is a global leader around Forest Therapy Guided Training, a practice, which draws on developing connections with nature and creating experiences centered in mindfulness, as ways to help improve physical and mental wellbeing. Increasingly, research points to the benefits of “forest bathing” as it may be commonly referred to, and we are hoping to train two cohorts of leaders over Read More

Luján Statement On Senate Passage Of Bipartisan Legislation To Halt All Lethal Trafficking Of Fentanyl

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U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) issued the following statement on the March 14 Senate passage of the Halt All Lethal Trafficking of (HALT) Fentanyl Act:

“The fentanyl crisis has taken far too many innocent lives and has devastated communities across New Mexico and the United States. The bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act will give law enforcement the tools necessary to combat the fentanyl crisis, keep fentanyl off our streets, and help protect New Mexico communities.

“This legislation is a critical step toward protecting our communities Read More

Robinson: New Mexico Doctors – ‘We Are Exhausted And Demoralized’

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By SHERRY ROBINSON
All She Wrote
© 2024 New Mexico News Services

Five progressives killed the medical malpractice bill.

You might say the trial lawyers got their money’s worth. You might say it’s late in the session and everybody’s getting tired and cranky. You could even observe that the strife of national politics has haunted this legislative session. It would all be true.

But there’s another element that’s more troubling, and that’s denial and willful ignorance.

New Mexico doesn’t have enough doctors. It’s a national problem, but it’s worse here. In recent years New Mexico was the ONLY state Read More

Dannemann: The Trial Lawyer Argument Is Bogus

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By MERILEE DANNEMANN
© 2025 by Merilee Dannemann

In New Mexico, there aren’t enough doctors. There aren’t enough nurses. There aren’t enough hospitals, especially in small towns. There aren’t enough patients paying full price for their healthcare and too many on Medicaid.

You probably already know this. We talk about it all the time.  

Two other factors contribute to this crisis. One is the presence of private for-profit ownership of hospitals and the other is our high rate of malpractice insurance.

But one of these two issues is claiming to be the solution to the other one, and that is pure nonsense. Read More

House Passes Environmental Protection, Clean Energy Bills

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Lead Sponsor Rep. Joanne Ferrary (D-Las Cruces)

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Friday, the House of Representatives passed key legislation to help facilitate transition to clean energy and protect New Mexicans from toxic chemicals. 

House Bill 361, which passed unanimously, would help clean up and repurpose depleted oil and gas wells across New Mexico. The bill would authorize the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) to utilize these wells for energy storage or geothermal energy development. If no other uses are found viable, the wells would be plugged.

“New Mexico has nearly Read More