Features

LARSO Executive Director Jacci Gruninger Chosen For Older Adult Leadership Program Initiated By ALTSD

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LARSO Executive Director Jacci Gruninger

LARSO News:

Jacci Gruninger, the Executive Director of the Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization, has been chosen to participate in the prestigious Older Adult Leadership Program initiated by the Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD).

This program marks the first leadership cohort created by the department, and Gruninger is honored to be selected among her esteemed state provider colleagues.

The Older Adult Leadership Program is designed to cultivate and empower leaders in the aging services sector, equipping them with the knowledge, Read More

State Health Care Authority’s $2.2 Billion Budget Boosts Essential Services

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STATE News:

SANTA FE – The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) is requesting $2.2 billion in state funding for Fiscal Year 2026, which will leverage an additional $11 billion in federal funds and support critical investments that are improving the health and well-being of more than one million New Mexicans.

The HCA FY26 budget request aims to optimize federal funding and builds on the foundational work initiated since the agency launch on July 1, 2024. As a result, 74 percent of the agency’s budget is financed by federal funds, meaning that for every $1 in state funding, the HCA leverages an Read More

Heinrich, Risch Applaud House Committee Passage Of Their Legislation To Clean Up Abandoned Mines

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From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) applauded the passage of the House companion to their legislation, the Good Samaritan Remediation of Abandoned Hardrock Mines Act, in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

The legislation would make it easier for “Good Samaritans” such as state agencies, local governments, nonprofits, and other groups, to clean up and improve water quality in and around abandoned hardrock mines. 

Heinrich and Risch hailed the Senate’s unanimous and bipartisan Read More

LAPS To Host Safety Briefing: Drugs, Sex And Phones Part 1 – What Families Need To Know About Smartphones And Social Media

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LAPS News:

Los Alamos Public Schools (LAPS) invites parents and caregivers of students in grades 6-12 to attend a safety briefing: Drugs, Sex and Phones Part 1: What Families Need to Know About Smartphones and Social Media.

The event will take place 6-7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1 in the Speech Theater at Los Alamos High School.

LAPS Superintendent Jennifer Guy will join secondary school administrators, school counseling and prevention program staff, and representatives from the Los Alamos Police Department to share information about concerning trends and activities that are dangerous to Read More

Robinson: County Jails Have A Role In Criminal Justice Reform

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

Many people who break the law need drug treatment. That’s pretty common knowledge, but the state Corrections Department has no treatment program. Now, battered by a new state law and a lawsuit, the department will drag itself into the 21st century. Meanwhile, it’s sending inmates needing treatment back to county facilities.

That’s just one expense of many for county detention facilities.

Last November I wrote that crime discussions during the legislative session “must look at all the moving parts of the criminal justice system, Read More

LARSO To Host ‘A Matter of Balance’ Beginning Sept. 23

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The most recent ‘A Matter of Balance’ class graduated last Monday. A new class begins Sept 23 in White Rock. Call 505.672.2034 to register. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Certified AMOB Trainer

Starting Monday, Sept. 23 a new session of “A Matter of Balance” will take place at the White Rock Senior Center. Members of Los Alamos Retired and Senior Organization (LARSO) age 60 and older are welcome to register for free.

If interested in taking the class but not a member of the Senior Activity Centers, please call 505.662.7957. Membership is free for anyone age 60 and older. Read More

Heinrich Introduces Bill To Protect Dialysis Patients

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

From the Office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) joined Senate colleagues Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.) to introduce the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, legislation to ensure individuals with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, continue to have access to private health care.

The legislation follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, Marietta v. DaVita, that allowed private health plans to deny coverage of kidney care services, including dialysis treatments and Read More

NMED Offers Private Well Water Tests For Contamination From Fire-fighting Foams, PFAS, Near Cannon AFB

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Cannon Air Force Base. Courtesy/CAB

NMED News:

  • Initiative addresses health concerns from residents during August meeting

SANTA FE — The New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) is offering residents who live around Cannon Air Force Base and get their drinking water from a private well free drinking water testing for contamination from fire-fighting foams.

For decades, fire-fighting foams containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, collectively known as PFAS, were routinely used by Cannon AFB which contaminated nearby groundwater — the primary source of drinking water for local Read More

New Mexico Superintendent Of Insurance Announces Public Meetings Related To Health Care Consolidation Act

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OSI Superintendent Alice Kane

From the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance:

SANTA FE – Across the United States mergers and acquisitions of health care entities have caused significant challenges in health care pricing, access to services, and quality of care. 

Earlier this year, the New Mexico Legislature adopted the Health Care Consolidation Act (Act) passed as Senate Bill 15 in the 2024 legislative session, which gives the Office of Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) tools to provide oversite of certain hospital transactions. 

The Act is intended to ensure that such transactions Read More