Health
In attack on abortion rights, new Texas law could turn state courts into litigation Thunderdomes
Forty-eight years have passed since a Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade established a legal right to have an abortion in the United States. Numerous efforts have been made to restrict terms of the 1973 Roe decision. So far, the law remains that the government has no authority to restrict abortions before the point […]
Distance doesn’t have to become isolation for Indigenous elders
Call grandma. That’s Larry’s Curley’s message. So I did. It went something like this: “Grandma, it’s Shaun. How are you?” “Hi babba! I’m great, how are you? How is your mom?” We went back and forth a good half hour, catching up on family business and chatting a little football before she had to leave […]
FDA panel backs COVID-19 booster shots only for elderly and high-risk Americans
WASHINGTON — A federal health advisory panel wrestled Friday with whether to widely authorize a booster dose of Pfizer’s two-shot COVID-19 vaccine for most Americans, ultimately recommending that a third dose be offered only to older or higher-risk individuals. The Biden administration had hoped that states could begin rolling out a wide national booster shot […]
Albuquerque police still sweeping homeless camps, despite CDC guidelines
Richard Murray and Terryn Paul both like to draw. Sitting on the grass at Wells Park near Downtown Albuquerque on Sept. 16, they read books, smoke cigarillos and sharpen colored pencils using a knife with a pearlescent handle. They’ve been living unsheltered on the city streets for five years, repeatedly missing chances to get housing. […]
How House Democrats would expand Medicare and Medicaid and lower prescription drug costs
WASHINGTON — New Medicare benefits for older Americans, like dental care. An expansion of eligibility for Medicaid for low-income people in Republican-controlled states that have declined to take that step. And potentially an historic effort to rein in prescription drug prices — if congressional Democrats can work through objections from moderates in their party. The massive […]
New state law banned a county’s gas stations from selling liquor. So some stopped selling gas.
A one-paragraph amendment to the state Legislature’s new, sweeping alcohol reform law gave owners of gas stations in McKinley County a choice: You can sell hard liquor. Or you can sell gas. To Benjamin Gonzales, manager of the El Sabino’s grocery and gas station in Vanderwagen, N.M., it was a “no-brainer.” “We stopped selling gas […]
Huge dip in school COVID cases draws cautious optimism
It might be a bright spot for New Mexico public schools fighting COVID-19. It might be an anomaly. Either way, Public Education Secretary-designate Kurt Steinhaus is cautiously optimistic at the 37% dip in on-campus infections. “When I looked at that, the first time I thought, hmm, we better double check the data and make sure […]
N.M. extends indoor mask mandate to Oct. 15
Keep your mask up, New Mexico. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s office announced New Mexico will extend the state’s indoor mask mandate until Oct. 15. The requirement was reinstated in August as COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations rose in the state. Another public health order requiring health care workers and public schools employees to be vaccinated or […]
State needs to legalize testing strips to prevent overdose deaths, harm reduction expert says
Fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is much more potent than heroin, has entered New Mexico’s drug market and can make drug use more dangerous and even fatal. Fentanyl is killing more people in the state than heroin and prescription opioids now, according to health officials. Overdose deaths have increased in the state, with fentanyl-related deaths […]
Providers ask lawmakers to relax the rules around take-home drug treatment
It took Phil Fiuty more than 20 years from the first time he thought maybe he wanted to not use drugs anymore to become sober. That’s not because of any moral failing or lack of character on his part, but illustrates his view that it can take a lot of practice to be abstinent. “It’s […]
COVID-19 vaccines or weekly tests to be mandated for millions of U.S. workers
WASHINGTON — More than 80 million employees of private businesses in the U.S. will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing as part of the Biden administration’s latest strategy for combating the still-surging coronavirus pandemic. The upcoming vaccine rule for companies with at least 100 employees is one plank of an […]
Behavioral health provider: ‘I just hope that we’ve learned from history’
Providers are asking New Mexico lawmakers to rebuild the state’s behavioral health care system, which is still plagued by problems after former Gov. Susana Martinez caused many providers to shut down about eight years ago. Lawrence Medina, executive director of the Rio Grande Alcoholism Treatment Program in Taos, N.M., suggested lawmakers provide funding needed to […]