Healthcare

Skolnik: Increasing Healthcare Services In New Mexico – Is It Now or Never?       

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By RICHARD SKOLNIK
White Rock 

Despite its many talented healthcare professionals, New Mexico ranks 33rd in healthcare in the US (https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/health-care). This is not by chance. Rather, misguided state policies are an important cause of the poor status of healthcare in our state.  

Some of New Mexico’s most critical healthcare gaps relate to physician shortages. NM ranks 36th of the 50 states in “physicians in patient care,” per capita. (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/2020-2021/DocSt.pdf). In addition, we have an aging physician work Read More

Senate Adds Conscience Clause To Aid-In-Dying Law

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The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Courtesy photo

By DANIEL J. CHACÓN
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A bill the Senate passed Thursday eliminates any repercussions against doctors, nurses and other health care providers who refuse to participate in New Mexico’s medical aid-in-dying law for reasons of conscience.

“This bill simply acknowledges and affirms the right of individuals to object on conscientious reasons to participate in any medical aid in dying, including the refusal to provide information on medical aid in dying to a patient and refusing to refer a patient to someone else willing Read More

LANL: Giving The Gift Of Life, Laboratory Employees Step Up To Donate Blood

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Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

Every two seconds someone in the U.S. receives a blood transfusion, and the life-saving gift of blood is often in short supply.

Which is why the Laboratory helps its employees to step up and contribute to filling the gap.

In the last fiscal year (which ran Oct. 2021 to Sept. 2022) the Laboratory organized 17 blood drives, with 658 employee donors giving 771 units of blood — enough to save 2517 lives.

In conjunction with blood donation partner Vitalant, the Laboratory’s Community Partnerships Office organizes the employee-only drives to be convenient for workers to take Read More

Leonard: How AI Is Changing Medicine, Where It’s Headed

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By LAURA LEONARD
Doctor of Chiropractic
Los Alamos

The recently launched AI chatbot, ChatGPT, is expected to completely revolutionize the practice of medicine.

In February of this year, ChatGPT took and almost passed the US Medical Licensing Exam with pass rates between 52 and 74 percent between three tests.

Remarkable considering medical residents average pass rate for the USMLE is 60 percent.

When the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of 11,004 Americans however, they determined that 60 percent were uncomfortable with the use of AI in their care.

Time will tell where this is all headed Read More

HB 134 Free Menstrual Products In Schools Goes To Senate

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The Roundhouse in Santa Fe. Courtesy photo

By ROBERT NOTT
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A student-driven bill that would require all public schools in New Mexico to stock restrooms with free menstrual products is headed to its final proving ground in the Legislature.

The Senate Education Committee on Wednesday voted 4-1 in approval of House Bill 134, drafted by three teens who attend Albuquerque Academy. The bill now goes to the full Senate.

Rep. Christine Trujillo, D-Albuquerque, a sponsor of HB 134, said the budget bill for fiscal year 2024 includes $1.2 million to fund the measure.

Maddy Hayden,  Read More

New Mexico Health Professionals For Climate Action Urge Governor To Support HB 42 & SB 5

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Courtesy/NM Health Professionals for Climate Action

From NM Health Professionals for Climate Action:

To: The Honorable Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the Honorable Secretary of Health Patrick Allen.

We are writing on behalf of the rapidly growing network of New Mexican health professionals alarmed by the dangerous health effects of climate change we currently see manifesting among patients and communities in our state.

We admire your commitment to improving the well-being of all New Mexicans under your leadership. 

We request that you continue this commitment by supporting the creation Read More

Heinrich, Brown, Collins, Mullin Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Increase Access To Mental Health Services For Older Americans

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U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase access to mental health care services for older Americans by ensuring Medicare beneficiaries have access to clinical psychologists across all settings of care.

This legislation, the Increasing Mental Health Options Act of 2023, would update the Medicare program to ensure Medicare beneficiaries can access clinical psychologists directly for mental Read More

Mental Health Bill For New Mexico Firefighters Advances

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Rep. Elizabeth ‘Liz’ Thomson

STATE News:

SANTA FE — House Bill 257, which would help provide behavioral health support to firefighters, passed the House Monday with a bipartisan vote of 64-2.

These support programs would allow firefighters to offer peer-to-peer behavioral health support within their departments. The State Fire Marshal’s Office would offer training courses for fire departments that choose to implement these programs.

The training courses would focus on substance misuse, critical incident stress, grief support, line of duty deaths, serious injury or illness, suicidal Read More

Op-Ed: New Mexico Medical Malpractice

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By KURT C. LANGE, MD.
Taos and Los Alamos

Most of us love New Mexico but we know it has its problems. In 2019, according to US News and World Report, New Mexico ranked 48 out of 50 states as a place to live. In addition, healthcare ranked #33, education #50, crime #47 and opportunity #49. I think it’s obvious that following the COVID epidemic, things haven’t improved for New Mexico. These are the things a state government should provide for its citizens, but it appears they are failing.

Being a long time physician practicing medicine in Texas and later moving to New Mexico to continue to practice, I think Read More

Democrats Table Second Medical Malpractice Proposal

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Sen. Mark Moores

By DANIEL J. CHACÓN 
The Santa Fe New Mexican

A bipartisan bill that would have left the cap on medical malpractice payouts for independent outpatient health care facilities at $750,000 for another two years stalled Thursday in the Senate Tax, Business and Transportation Committee.

Supporters said the measure was designed to fix a flaw in the state’s medical malpractice law that has left health care facilities that are not majority-owned by a hospital unable to obtain medical malpractice insurance — further exacerbating New Mexico’s shortage of doctors.

After a two-hour Read More