Health
Lawmaker who works in health care pushes for New Mexico to codify nurse-to-patient ratios
While New Mexico continues to struggle with a nursing shortage, a lawmaker with experience in the health care field wants to pass a bill that would limit how many patients a nurse has to oversee. Rep. Eleanor Chavez (D-Albuquerque) is the executive director of the National Union of Hospital and Health Care Employees, District 1199. […]
U.S. House GOP takes aim at fake pills containing deadly fentanyl sold on social media
WASHINGTON — On a June 2020 morning, Amy Neville entered her son’s bedroom to wake him for an orthodontist appointment. Fourteen-year-old Alex didn’t wake up. He died of fentanyl poisoning after taking a counterfeit pill he bought from someone he met on Snapchat, Neville told GOP lawmakers Wednesday during a roundtable discussion of the role […]
Supporters turn out to champion affirmative consent in Roundhouse hearing
Legislation making its way through the session would transform how sexual assault cases are handled by public schools and New Mexico colleges that take state money. And it would make what’s known as “affirmative consent” a part of sex ed in high school health classes. In a room full of educators, students, survivors of sexual […]
The Navajo Nation has lifted its mask mandate, fully reopening to the public
Almost three years after it was instituted to curb the spread of COVID-19, the Navajo Nation has lifted its mask mandate, making mask use optional in public spaces and businesses for the general public. By removing the mask mandate, the Navajo Nation is now considered fully reopened to the general public. “It’s time for the […]
Federal judge could decide as soon as February to yank abortion pill nationwide
WASHINGTON — A Texas judge could decide as soon as next month whether to force the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to pull its two-decade-old approval of the abortion pill, which accounts for more than half of pregnancy terminations in the United States. A nationwide injunction in the case, as requested by anti-abortion groups, would […]
Planners for southern N.M. reproductive health clinic gather in the capital to talk next steps
There’s no timeline for the future $10 million reproductive health center in Las Cruces, N.M., but advocates turned out at the capital, touting a vision beyond abortion care. About two dozen supporters of the health center — including advocacy nonprofits such as Forward Together, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Bold Futures NM — […]
VP Harris: ‘Can we truly be free if a woman cannot make decisions about her life?’
In a direct challenge to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to his back yard Sunday to announce that President Joe Biden was ordering his administration to protect access to abortion-inducing medications. During a roughly 20-minute address in Tallahassee marking what would have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Harris […]
Fifty years later, our lives still at risk
Fifty years ago, a very different U.S. Supreme Court decided Roe v. Wade. Radical right-wing extremists control the Supreme Court and serve in elective office. We have fewer freedoms than we did a generation ago. We suffer, and women die because of it. When the Supreme Court ruled last June to strip away our rights […]
New Mexico prepares for a drop in monthly SNAP benefits
More than half a million New Mexicans relying on food assistance will see a significant drop in their monthly benefits in March as the federal government suspends the pandemic expansion of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The New Mexico Human Services Department said in a media briefing Thursday that families will see their benefits drop […]
States that limit business with banks that boycott fossil fuels could pay high cost, study says
Republican state policymakers’ efforts to boost fossil fuels by prohibiting their governments from doing business with companies that take sustainability into consideration have the potential to cost states millions, according to a study released this month. Researchers looked specifically at the possible effects on Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia if they passed […]
U.S. House agriculture leaders discuss anti-hunger measures in upcoming farm bill
WASHINGTON — The new Republican chairman of the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and a top Democrat on the panel on Wednesday laid out anti-hunger initiatives Congress could tackle in the upcoming farm bill. During a panel discussion, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson of Pennsylvania, the new head of the Agriculture Committee, said he believes members of […]
Final decision on Albuquerque’s free bus fare program on hold, again
The fate of Albuquerque’s Zero Fares program, which allows anyone to board a bus without paying or showing a pass, will be decided at a future City Council meeting after councilors agreed Wednesday to delay a vote until next month’s meeting. This marks the fourth time the Council has deferred a vote on the matter. […]