Healthcare

Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service To Close Doors Feb. 20

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From Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service, Inc.:

After 52 years of dedicated service to the communities of Los Alamos County and Rio Arriba County, Los Alamos Visiting Nurse Service, Inc. will close its doors on Feb. 20, 2026.

This decision was not made lightly. For more than five decades, our organization has been honored to provide home health and hospice care to patients and families during some of life’s most vulnerable moments. Unfortunately, mounting financial pressures have made it unsustainable for us to continue operating.

Over the past 20 years, home health and hospice agencies nationwide Read More

February Is National Heart Health Awareness Month—Community Blood Drives Throughout The Month

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Three opportunities to donate blood with Vitalant in the month of February. Sign up today at www.vitalant.org or call them today. Look for the Promo Code for a gift card. Photo by Bernadette Lauritzen

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Executive Director
Champions of Youth Ambitions

Did you know February is National Heart Health Awareness Month? Vitalant would like to help bring much needed awareness on how important transfusions are to the critical aspect of managing cardiac surgery patients . An estimated 50% of cardiac surgery patients require a blood transfusion and with it being the month of love, Read More

New Mexico House Passes $11 Billion Budget, Rejects Paying Counties With ICE Jails

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Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Cruces
Chair
House Appropriations and Finance Committee

By ESTEBAN CANDELARIA
The Santa Fe New Mexican

At the halfway point of this year’s 30-day session, the House approved a proposed spending plan setting aside a little more than $11 billion in recurring spending with boosts in spending for a number of early childhood, health care and public safety initiatives.

House Bill 2, which currently proposes a 2.7% increase in recurring spending for the coming fiscal year, reflects an effort by legislators to make “responsible investments,” Rep. Nathan Small, D-Las Read More

DEA And NFL Alumni Health Team Up On Football’s Biggest Stage To Tackle Fentanyl Crisis

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DEA News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — For a third consecutive year, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and NFL Alumni Health (NFLAH) are joining forces to raise awareness about the dangers of fentanyl and spreading a critical message: One Pill Can Kill.

Building on the success of the last two years, this collaboration supports DEA’s newest initiative, Fentanyl Free America, with the goal of reducing demand for fentanyl and protecting communities from its devastating impacts.

Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is often pressed into counterfeit pills designed to look like prescription medications Read More

Reasonable Malpractice Reform Benefits Every New Mexican

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By DAYMON ELY
Attorney
Former New Mexico Representative

At its heart, the debate over medical malpractice reform is not about trial lawyers or corporate profits – it is about our most basic values. Every New Mexican deserves access to quality health care. And every New Mexican deserves justice when that care falls tragically short.

Medical malpractice is rare. Fewer than 1% of medical providers are responsible for the vast majority of malpractice claims, but when tragedy strikes and a patient is harmed or killed, that patient or their family needs to know that they can get justice in a Read More

Primary Care Conference Open To Health Care Professionals

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HCA News:

The New Mexico Health Care Authority (HCA) invites all primary care clinicians, clinic administrators, health system leaders, and Medicaid stakeholders to attend a one-day conference focused on advancing value-based care and strengthening primary care in New Mexico.

Read More

Medical Community Opposes HB 213 Citing Patient Safety, Surgical Standards, And Proper Oversight

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STATE News:

SANTA FE — Local medical students, ophthalmology residents, and doctors provided public comments cautioning policymakers that eye surgery is complex, high-risk medical care that requires physician-led training, supervision, and oversight to protect patient safety. Despite references in committee to a stakeholder compromise, no consensus exists among physicians or professional organizations regarding the expansion of laser eye surgery authority in HB 213.

HB 213 was rolled by the House Health and Human Services Committee and will be heard by the committee on Wednesday Read More

Fuselier: Loss And Grief For Seniors

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By BOB FUSELIER 
Los Alamos 

We’ve all faced losses, whether the loss be a loved one, a career, a pet, a relationship, or way of life. As we age, we also face the loss of our health, abilities, and freedom to be independent. Eventually, we must all come to terms with the greatest loss we will ever face, our own death.

Unfortunately, we’re not always allowed to grieve our losses. The sense of separation, confusion, regret, guilt, constant sadness, and anger can be signs of ungrieved losses. We can’t avoid loss, but we can make sure we allow ourselves to go through the healing process of loss, what we know Read More

Sen. David Gallegos Introduces Critical ‘Safe Haven Baby Box’ Legislation, Requests Message From Governor

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Sen. David Gallegos with the Martinez Family and baby Michael, who was placed in a Safe Haven Baby Box in Belen in 2024 and adopted by the Martinez family in 2025. Courtesy photo

New Mexico Senate Republicans News:

SANTA FE — Senate Republican Caucus Chair David Gallegos (R-Eunice) introduced necessary legislation (SB 206) on Jan. 30 to ensure the protection of women who may elect to anonymously place their newborn child in a ‘Safe Haven Baby Box’.

If passed, this legislation would alleviate potential legal exposure that local communities throughout New Mexico have cited as the primary reason Read More

New Mexico House Panel Passes Medical Malpractice Bill–Without Protections For Corporate Hospitals​​

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Rep. Elaine Sena Cortez, R-Hobbs, right, gets emotional while discussing her mother’s battle with cancer during a House Health and Human Services Committee hearing Friday on amendments to House Bill 99 at the state Capitol. HB 99 calls for caps on punitive damages in medical malpractice cases in New Mexico. Photo by Matt Dahlseid/The New Mexican

By CLARA BATES
The Santa Fe New Mexican

The day before Valarie Gee’s son underwent a routine cardiac procedure, he was “jumping in the swimming pool” and running around, she said.

The next day, she added, the procedure left him paralyzed.

“When medical Read More