Healthcare

Stansbury, Leger Fernández Urge Congress To Prevent Looming Medicare Cuts

U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury

From the Office of U.S. Rep. Melanie Stansbury:

WASHINGTON — U.S. Representatives Melanie Stansbury (N.M.-01) and Teresa Leger Fernández (N.M.-03), joined 113 Members of Congress in a bipartisan letter to President Biden and House and Senate leadership urging swift action to prevent looming Medicare cuts. 

Reps. Stansbury and Leger Fernández joined their colleagues urging action to prevent Medicare reimbursement cuts of over 8 percent. The cuts would cut back on the health care that the over 440,000 Medicare recipients in New Mexico depend on, particularly Read More

Malizia: Biobot Analytics Response To John Pearson

BECCA MALIZIA 
Biobot Analytics

I’m the Science Communications Manager for Biobot Analytics.

We came across a recent letter to the editor (Link) on tracking Covid in wastewater that mentioned Biobot, and we have a few comments we’d love to share:

  • Los Alamos County is a participant in the CDC’s NWSS Program. This program is managed by Biobot, but funded by the CDC. Biobot is not receiving funds from Los Alamos County;
  • Our variant data for Los Alamos County shows that the primary variant circulating is BA.5. For context, BF and BQ are subvariants of BA.5, which are included in the overall BA.5 percentage

Read More

LAHS Key Club Raises Funds For Thirst Project

LAHS Key Club President Ming-Yuan Lo presents a $1,000 check recently to Lieutenant Governor Adeline Feng of the Southwest District’s Sangre de Christo Division. Courtesy/Kiwanis

Key Clubbers Yeanwoo Park, Ethan Singell, Chloe Li, Rebecca Li, Adeline Feng and Ming-Yuan Lo operate the cotton candy machine during a summer concert. Courtesy/Kiwanis

By MORRIE PONGRATZ
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos

Millions of people worldwide are without clean, fresh drinking water. The Thirst Project is a nonprofit organization that works with the support of young people to end the global water crisis by building Read More

White House Hosts Summit On COVID-19 Mistrust & Equity

A poster presentation highlights wellness, community, nonprofit and public health organizations that worked to gain equity in providing direct relief services to their communities during the COVID pandemic. Courtesy/Yee Ha’ólníi Doo

Yee Ha’ólníi Doo News:

Ch’íhootsooí, Dinétah, Window Rock, Navajo Nation—The White House Summit on COVID-19 Equity & What Works Showcase, held Nov. 16, featured organizations that provided direct relief during the pandemic and the methods they used to achieve equity.

White House COVID Coordinator Ashish K. Jha said that equity had to be an Read More

Former Colfax County Manager Pays New Mexico State Ethics Commission $500 Demand For GCA Violations

State Ethics Commission News:

ALBUQUERQUE — The State Ethics Commission announces that in response to a demand letter, former Colfax County Manager Mary Lou Kern paid the Commission a $500 fine—the amount statutorily available for two violations of Sections 10-16-8(B) and 10-16-8(D) of the Governmental Conduct Act—in exchange for the Commission’s agreement not to file a civil enforcement action against her.

As Colfax County Manager, Kern was personally and substantially involved in the County’s 2022 inmate medical services Request for Proposals (“RFP”) to provide inmate health services Read More

Luján, Whitehouse, Klobuchar Introduce Legislation To Support Treatment Of Pregnant And Postpartum Women

U.S. SENATE News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thursday, U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) introduced the Improving Treatment for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Act 2.0 to reauthorize residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women who have a substance use disorder.

This legislation will authorize funding to enhance comprehensive substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, recovery support services, and harm reduction interventions supported by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment.

“To best Read More

COVID-19 Community Newsletter For Dec. 16, 2022

COUNTY News:

The community is asked to take a minute to read the COVID-19 Community Newsletter, and make sure their family is prepared for the colder season, holiday gatherings, cross-country travels and visits with older loved ones.

Make sure to order a FREE at-home COVID tests, get boosted, and stay informed.

Click here to view: https://conta.cc/3YxUWW0

Read More

Gruninger: Restorative Yoga-Mountain Brook Calming Pose

By JACCI GRUNINGER, MS, C-IAYT
Los Alamos

Continuing with our self-support practices this month, try this calming restorative pose when you want to feel supported.

This pose also helps to reverse our traditional “slumpasana” (slumped pose) that comes from sitting and holding tension in our necks, upper back and shoulders.

Benefits of this pose:

  • Supports the back of the neck to allow the throat to soften;
  • Opens the upper back to break down the walls created around the heart; and
    Can help reduce fatigue.

While you are doing this pose, consider yourself like a mountain brook and the props are smooth Read More

Retired Wildland Firefighter Donates Ambulance Blessed By Father Theophan To Ukrainian Humanitarian Effort

Father Theophan of Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church in Los Alamos blesses an ambulance donated by recently retired local wildland firefighter Brian Kliesen that will be transported to Ukraine. Courtesy/Father Theophan

The ambulance donated by recently retired local wildland firefighter Brian Kliesen and blessed by Father Theophan being prepared for transport to Ukraine. Courtesy/Father Theophan

SAINT JOB News:

Tuesday, Dec. 6, Father Theophan was at Saint Job of Pochaiv Orthodox Church, making copious amounts of Baklava for the annual fundraiser for Ukraine. While baking, the Read More