Healthcare

Relay For Life Los Alamos Launches Operation Pamper

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By Tonya Sprouse-Mullins
Relay for Life Los Alamos

As all of you know the Relay for Life Los Alamos event is scheduled for Sept. 30 and the Survivors Dinner is Aug. 12. As this year’s event coordinators Rachal and I are “mixing it up a bit” and the event is going to be AMAZING.

We would like to do something special for a survivor or someone going through treatments. Every woman deserves to feel beautiful and every man deserves to feel handsome .

I have local businesses who have donated their time or products for what I am calling “Operation Pamper”.

If you know someone Read More

Udall, Heinrich Work To Improve Access To Comprehensive Care For Patients With Diabetes

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U.S. SENATE News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. —  U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich introduced bipartisan legislation to improve patient access to podiatrists in Medicaid and improve care for patients with diabetes who need therapeutic shoes via Medicare.
 
The Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians (HELLPP) Act would recognize podiatrists as physicians under Medicaid as they are defined under Medicare. The bill would bring Medicaid in line with Medicare and a majority of U.S. health-care delivery systems, and ensure that Medicaid
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State Auditor Tim Keller Moves To Halt Health Insurance Extraordinary Dividends

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STATE News:
 
SANTA FE ― State Auditor Tim Keller has called on the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance (OSI) to halt the approval of “extraordinary dividend” payments for health insurance companies until issues involving potential underpayments of premium taxes are resolved.
 
For example, despite current concerns about money that may be owed to the State of New Mexico, companies, including Presbyterian and Lovelace, have had approved dividends of more than $100 million. The Office of the State Auditor (OSA) is conducting an ongoing audit to get to
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Luján Amendment To Protect Those Exposed To Radiation Passes House

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U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján
 
U.S. CONGRESSIONAL News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― An amendment authored by U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) to care for those exposed to radiation was unanimously approved by the U.S. House of Representatives late last night.
 
The amendment expresses the sense of Congress that it is appropriate for the U.S. government to compensate all miners, workers, downwinders, and others suffering from the effects of uranium mining and nuclear testing carried out during the Cold War.
 
“Many Americans sacrificed a great deal to ensure our national
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Letter To The Editor: Cautions About Hemp/Cannabis

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By DENNIS LITTLE
Los Alamos

Saying it’s legal (hemp) cannabis is at least misleading and may end up getting someone fired and/or arrested (link). It is legal by New Mexico law but is still a federal crime and the current administration has made it clear they will go after users/sellers even if the state says it’s OK with it.

LANL also has a no-tolerance policy for drugs, so first offense can lead to immediate termination. While the article says that it’s unlikely to show up in testing, they also cover themselves by saying they don’t guarantee it and you can be sure that LANL won’t take an excuse of “they Read More

Salmonella: Make Your Food Safer To Eat

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CDC News:

You may know that Salmonella can contaminate poultry and eggs, but it also sneaks its way into many other foods. It can contaminate ground beef, tuna, pork, tomatoes, sprouts, and even peanut butter. Learn what you can do to make your food safer to eat.

Salmonella is a bacteria that commonly causes foodborne illness, sometimes called “food poisoning.” CDC estimates Salmonella causes 1 million foodborne illnesses every year in the United States. During the past few years, outbreaks of Salmonella illness have been linked to contaminated cucumbers, chicken, eggs, pistachios, raw Read More

NMDOH: Avoid Ticks And Tickborne Disease

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NMDOH News:

While many New Mexicans are aware mosquitoes can carry West Nile virus and fleas potentially are infected with Plague, there are lesser known but potentially deadly diseases in the state where the infectious agent is carried by ticks.

“There are usually a few cases of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever every year in New Mexico and occasional cases of diseases such as relapsing fever and Colorado tick fever,” said Paul Ettestad, public health veterinarian with the Department of Health. “The risk to you or your family of being exposed to one of these potentially severe diseases can be greatly Read More

Legal Hemp Comes To Los Alamos

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Linda Casias of Float Los Alamos shows off a wide variety of legal hemp products carried at her business. Photo by Bonnie J. Gordon/ladailypost.com
 
 
By BONNIE J. GORDON
Los Alamos Daily Post

Legal hemp has made it to Los Alamos and is being sold at Float Los Alamos. Owners Linda Casias and her husband Carlos began carrying a number of products containing hempabout 10 months ago, she said.

“A client recommended we should be carrying it and we did some research,” she said. “We found out it is perfectly legal in New Mexico.”

Float Los Alamos carries oils, tinctures, capsules and even honey Read More

DEA Launches Website To Target College Drug Use

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DEA News:
 
WASHINGTON, D.C. ― The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration launched CampusDrugPrevention.gov, a new website focused on preventing and addressing college drug use.
 
“We must talk to folks about the dangers and consequences of drug abuse, and base those conversations on facts and science,” DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenberg said. “With this website, we put valuable information in the hands of higher education leaders who can use it to enlighten, teach, and change the culture.”
 
This new website is DEA’s latest effort to support drug
Read More

AG Files Lawsuit Against Presbyterian Health Plan, Presbyterian Network, Presbyterian Insurance For Fraud

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Attorney General Hector Balderas

STATE News:

SANTA FE – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas announced that he has filed a lawsuit against Presbyterian Health Plan, Presbyterian Network and Presbyterian Insurance Co. for fraud based on the systematic, deliberate underpayment of taxes on premiums received or written.

The Office of the Attorney General’s complaint alleges that between 2001 and 2015, Presbyterian routinely filed false claims for premium tax deductions and credits, thereby defrauding the people of New Mexico and evading its legal duty to pay these taxes.

The Read More