Features

Dr. Raffin: Those Measly Measles

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By Celeste Raffin, MD
Member
Los Alamos County Health Council

I remember very little of my early childhood, but will never forget having the Measles. Even though it was over 60 years ago, I remember how sick I was with astonishing clarity. 

Measles, aka Rubeola, is an infectious disease caused by the Measles virus. It was first described in Persia in the late 800’s AD. By 1200 AD it had developed into a human only disease that was prevalent throughout Asia and Europe. Whether intentional or not, Measles became one of the first bioterror weapons. Asian and European explorers, followed by North American Read More

NMED Petitions For Rule On Workplace Heat Protection

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NMED News:

SANTA FE—The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Occupational Health and Safety Bureau yesterday submitted a petition to the state’s Environmental Improvement Board to adopt a proposed rule on occupational heat illness and injury prevention. 

The rule is a critical step in protecting New Mexico workers from exposure to high temperatures while at work.  

The New Mexico Environment Department, and the Department’s Occupational Health and Safety Bureau, have been actively advocating for worker safety in hot environments for several years through public outreach, presentations Read More

Governor-Endorsed Bipartisan CYFD Reform Legislation Unanimously Clears New Mexico Senate

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CYFD News:

SANTA FE — The bipartisan Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) Omnibus Bill Senate Bill 42 unanimously passed the Senate Thursday.

This comprehensive legislation represents the most comprehensive and thoughtful plan introduced in this session to reform and strengthen New Mexico’s child welfare system.

“We have consistently supported CYFD reform legislation, and SB 42 provides lawmakers and our state with the wide-ranging solution we’ve been seeking,” CYFD Secretary Teresa Casados said. “The CYFD omnibus bill is a crucial step in the right direction for New Mexico’s Read More

After Weeks Of Waiting, Lawmakers Set To Consider Key Medical Malpractice Reform Bill For New Mexico

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Sen. Linda López
Chair
Senate Health and Public Affairs Committee

By MARGARET O’HARA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

Why the wait?

Senate Bill 176, a major piece of medical malpractice legislation, was introduced just days after the start of this year’s legislation session.

And since the session’s start, New Mexico lawmakers from both parties have listed reforms to the medical malpractice system among their top priorities, framing the issue as a major step toward alleviating the state’s acute shortage of health care providers.

Though the proposal has garnered strong opposition from medical malpractice Read More

House Unanimously Passes Bill To Better Protect Seniors

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Lead Sponsor Rep. Joseph Sanchez D-Alcalde

STATE News:

SANTA FE — Wednesday, the House of Representatives unanimously voted Wednesday to advance legislation updating the state’s Silver Alert notification system that alerts the public about missing seniors.

House Bill 197, would broaden the scope of the program to allow Silver Alerts for anyone over the age of 50 who displays signs or symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, cognitive decline, or impairment. Currently, only individuals who show a “clear indication” of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or other forms Read More

Denish: DOGE And Musk Impact New Mexicans

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By DIANE DENISH
Corner To Corner
diane@dianedenish.com

Elon Musk has been dominating the headlines recently with his slash and burn efforts as head of “DOGE” – the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

The world’s richest man is everywhere, firing federal workers, in the Oval Office, you name it.

I wanted to learn more about Musk, so I listened to the biography of Musk by Walter Isaacson (20 hours). I’ve also read a slew of business articles about Tesla, SpaceX and Musk’s current endeavor DOGE.

Here is what I learned.

He’s a South African by birth. Although he once attended an anti-apartheid Read More

Robinson: How Many Doctors Do We Have To Lose In New Mexico Before Lawmakers Act?

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

Dr. Lawrence Andrade and his wife, Dr. Aedra Andrade, are leaving Gallup. He’s a private practice family medicine doctor and owner of Family Medicine Associates. He’s practiced in Gallup since 2003. She’s a family practice physician with Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital. Together they have 9,000 active patients in a place that’s already undeserved.

Andrade has deep roots here, which makes his loss all the more painful. He’s a Gallup native and graduate of Gallup High School, UNM and the UNM School of Medicine. He is the team Read More

New Mexico Paid Leave Bill Clears First Senate Committee

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House Sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler

By NATHAN BROWN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A bill to extend paid time off to more New Mexico workers took a step closer to becoming law Saturday.

The Paid Family and Medical Leave Act passed out of the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee on a 6-4 party-line vote. It now heads to the Senate Finance Committee, which approved last year’s version of the bill.

Paid leave advocates have been pushing for years to create a state-run program. Last year’s bill passed the Senate before failing narrowly in the House. This year’s bill started in and has already Read More

Determan: Time To Speak Up For Tax Reforms For Health Care Workers

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From ANDREA DETERMAN
Chair
DPLA

Think New Mexico’s proposed legislation to fully repeal New Mexico’s Gross Receipts Tax (GRT) on medical services is approaching its critical decision point.

This morning, House Bill 344 passed the House Health & Human Services Committee unanimously and it now heads to the House Taxation and Revenue Committee. Meanwhile, the Senate version of the bill, Senate Bill 295, received a positive hearing in the Senate Tax, Bustiness & Transportation Committee yesterday afternoon.

The House and Senate tax committees will soon be meeting to decide Read More

Musk/Trump And CDC – Laying The Foundation For The Next Pandemic

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock

The staffing and budget cuts that Musk/Trump are taking to CDC will do immeasurable harm to the health of Americans and to the health of people globally. These harms will take many years to overcome and must be stopped now.

Eliminating critical personnel and funds will immediately harm CDC’s ability to detect, prevent, and help us respond to infectious disease threats. It will harm our preparedness to deal in a timely manner with the next emerging infectious disease, at a time when vaccination rates are falling and bird flu poses potentially grave risks to us and to Read More