Healthcare

County Offers Cooling Stations To Combat Extreme Heat

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COUNTY News:

As New Mexico enters the summer months and periods of extreme heat, Los Alamos County offers cooling stations throughout the community.

These designated spaces are equipped with air conditioning or water and offer residents and visitors a safe place to seek relief and help prevent heat-related illnesses.

Los Alamos and White Rock cooling station locations:

  • Los Alamos Municipal Building;
  • Mesa Public Library;
  • Betty Ehart Senior Center;
  • Los Alamos Nature Center (PEEC);
  • Fuller Lodge (Los Alamos Art Council);
  • White Rock Welcome Center;
  • White Rock Branch Library;
  • White Rock Senior
Read More

State Warns Medicare Scammers Target Beneficiaries Receiving New Cards

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ALTSD News:

SANTA FE — New Medicare cards are arriving in mailboxes as part of a nationwide reissuance affecting 1.3 million beneficiaries—and state officials are warning residents that scammers routinely exploit these moments to steal personal information.  

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued updated Medicare cards with new Medicare numbers as part of an effort to improve security protections and reduce identity theft and fraudulent billing. Not all beneficiaries will receive an updated card. Official communications regarding replacement Medicare Read More

Local GLP-1 Support Group Gears Up For Summer Meetings

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Dr. Elena McAtee, left, and Nutrition Coach Kate Cleveland prepared today for a busy season of Health and Wellness issues. Courtesy photo

By BERNADETTE LAURITZEN
Los Alamos

May tends to be a very busy month and sometimes your own health and self-care may get pushed to the back burner. As we venture into June and those summer months are at hand, you might need a refresher to put those good habits back at the top of the list.

If you’re one of those people on the GLP-1 drugs, there might be a lot of information that can get overwhelming, but don’t worry, because a support group exists to help with the journey. Read More

New Mexico’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Program Expands To Address Doctor Shortage

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STATE News:

SANTA FE — Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Tuesday announced a major expansion of New Mexico’s Health Professional Loan Repayment Program, the latest in a series of administration actions to address a physician shortage that has left 32 of the state’s 33 counties with critical gaps in care. 

Under the expanded Health Professional Loan Repayment Program, licensed physicians — including part-time physicians — will receive $75,000 per year for student debt relief over a four-year service commitment, for a total of up to $300,000. That makes New Mexico’s program the Read More

LAMC Names Julia Kilcer Its 2026 Mercy Award Winner

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From Los Alamos Medical Center:

Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC) is proud to announce that Clinical Educator Julia Kilcer, RN, has been recognized as the facility’s 2026 Mercy Award winner. The Mercy Award recognizes one employee from each of Lifepoint Health’s facilities who profoundly touches the lives of others and best represents the spirit and values on which the company was founded. The award is considered the highest honor a Lifepoint employee can receive.

Kilcer has been the Clinical Educator at LAMC since August 2024, and while she shines brightly in that role, she is equally Read More

Los Alamos Medical Center Names Michael H. Covert As Chief Executive Officer

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Michael H. Covert

LAMC News:

 Los Alamos Medical Center (LAMC) announced that Michael H. Covert, FACHE, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective June 15. Covert will replace Bob Singletary, who has been serving as interim CEO since March.

Covert brings decades of healthcare leadership experience with a strong focus on community access, quality of care, and collaboration with physicians, caregivers, and local partners. He has led hospitals and health systems across the country, helping organizations grow services, strengthen operations and quality, and meet the evolving Read More

Op‑Ed: Los Alamos Medical Center Is Prepared When It Matters Most – Emergency Care for Moms And Babies

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By ALAN HEILPERN, MD, Medical Director & Physician, Emergency Department
And
DEBRA TEMPLE, MHA, BSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Los Alamos Medical Center

Pregnancy and childbirth are moments of great anticipation and joy – but they can also come with unexpected medical emergencies. As clinical leaders at Los Alamos Medical Center, we want our community to know this clearly: our hospital is and will continue to be prepared to care for pregnant and postpartum patients when urgent needs arise.

As we prepare to transition inpatient labor and delivery services to regional partners at the Read More

National Academies Report: New Technologies And Approaches Needed To Shore Up Interconnected U.S. Energy And Water Systems

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NATIONAL ACADEMIES News:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — To strengthen the reliability and resiliency of the nation’s energy and water systems, the U.S. Department of Energy should develop innovative technology and infrastructure at the intersection of the two systems through a suite of pilot programs, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. U.S. energy and water systems are profoundly interconnected, and disruptions can cascade rapidly across both, affecting public health, economic activity, environmental quality, and national security.

Energy Read More

Scientists Map Shape Of RNA That Can Shut Down Genes

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A Los Alamos research team is unraveling the structure and function of RNA. Courtesy/LANL

LANL News:

            • Understanding the ‘dark matter of the genome’ could help develop therapeutic medical advances

In the field of human biology, there are many still-unanswered questions about the role of RNA, the less well-understood companion to DNA also found in all living cells, as scientists begin to unravel the complicated and important responsibilities of nucleic acid. In research described in Communications Biology, a Nature publication, an international research team applied innovative techniques Read More