Health
EPA devotes some federal cleanup funds to two toxic sites in NM
Former battery sludge lagoons in Socorro and a dry-cleaning chemical spill in Roswell were chosen by federal officials as destinations for cleanup funding, decades after the areas were contaminated. Socorro Mayor Ravi Bhasker said the funding’s been a long time coming, as cancer-causing manufacturing chemicals were first found in city water in the late 1980s. […]
4 New Year’s resolutions for a healthier environment in 2022
When many people think of New Year’s resolutions, they brainstorm ways to improve themselves for the year ahead. What if we expanded those aspirations to include resolutions that benefit our communities, society and the planet, too? It might not be a typical approach, but it can broaden your horizons to show ways you can also […]
Hope and resilience in action: Navajo Nation continues battle against COVID
TUBA CITY – It’s a familiar sight to anyone who knows the Navajo Nation: red sandstone, yellow-tinged sagebrush, a blue sky canopy that meets a protective ring of mountain peaks, with sheep and cattle dotting the fields. A newer addition to the timeless landscape is a series of hand-lettered turquoise signs along southbound U.S. 89 […]
Booster mandates are a tough call for states, businesses
Earlier this month, New Mexico became the first state to require COVID-19 boosters for its state employees, health care workers and educators. Officials there cite recent state research showing that immunity from the first series of shots wanes over time, which corresponds with other studies from around the world. “The evidence is incontrovertible,” said acting […]
Making space for grief over the 2021 holidays
With the holiday season upon us, many Americans are grappling with grief after losing someone to COVID-19, isolation and depression, or diseases and accidents that would occur in any given year. But we’re not talking a lot about it, especially during what can be billed as “the most wonderful time of the year.” This is […]
‘Crisis standards of care’ involve excruciating choices and impossible ethical decisions
As the omicron variant brings a new wave of uncertainty and fear, I can’t help reflecting back to March 2020, when people in health care across the U.S. watched in horror as COVID-19 swamped New York City. Hospitals were overflowing with sick and dying patients, while ventilators and personal protective equipment were in short supply. Patients sat for hours or days […]
Tribal authority to prosecute domestic violence cases could be expanded
Navajo Nation Police Officer Dwayne Hogue arrived at the domestic violence call from a woman who reported she was struck by her husband and pushed down on the coffee table while she held her 4-month-old baby. When he saw her, he could see the swelling on her face, and he asked if the child was […]
Biden slams COVID-19 vaccine ‘lies,’ announces free at-home tests
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged that COVID-19 vaccine doubters stop “peddling lies” on TV and online, as the nation grapples with a rising number of cases due to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Biden also announced new federal help for testing and treatment in the states, including 500 million at-home rapid test […]
The US is making plans to replace all of its lead water pipes from coast to coast
The Biden administration has released a plan to accelerate removal of lead water pipes and lead paint from U.S. homes. As a geochemist and environmental health researcher who has studied the heartbreaking impacts of lead poisoning in children for decades, I am happy to see high-level attention paid to this silent killer, which disproportionately affects poor communities of color. Childhood […]
Schumer vows U.S. Senate action on voting rights and social policy, as Manchin rift deepens
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday he plans to force votes on voting rights, a sweeping social policy bill and a change to Senate rules early next year — even as members of his caucus have made clear in recent days Democrats lack the support to pass those proposals. In a letter to […]
Survey: New Mexicans still can’t afford health care
Over the summer in New Mexico, when hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19 were going down and daily vaccinations were at a high, two-thirds of New Mexicans still couldn’t afford health insurance, delayed or skipped needed medical care due to cost, or struggled to pay medical bills, according to a recently released survey. The findings suggest […]
Complaint alleges company grifted Navajo Nation with the ex-controller’s knowledge
New details emerged about allegations against former Navajo Nation Controller Pearline Kirk regarding around $3 million in Navajo Nation pandemic funding paid to Agile Technologies Group LLC to conduct COVID-19 tests. A fresh round of criminal complaints were filed at Window Rock District Court on Dec. 3, a few days after Navajo Nation voluntarily dismissed […]