Efforts are underway to create a telehealth prenatal and postpartum service for rural patients - By Susan Dunlap, New Mexico Political Report
To solve an urgent issue caused by an increasing OB-GYN desert, New Mexico Hospital Association and New Mexico Human Services Department are proposing to establish a telehealth prenatal and postpartum program for rural patients.
Troy Clark, executive director of NMHA, told NM Political Report that OB-GYN services are being lost across the country as well as in New Mexico. He said rural hospitals are struggling to maintain labor and delivery services in hospitals and that affects all women patients.
“It affects women’s health care in those [rural] communities,” Clark said.
Timothy Fowler, public relations coordinator for HSD, said the proposal is still in development and that there are many elements still to be finalized.
“This proposal will be submitted to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services this year. Upon approval from CMS, HSD will formally announce the new program,” Fowler said via email
Fowler said it is too early to tell if the proposal will impact labor and delivery services and rural hospitals.
“The primary intent of this proposal is to allow perinatal Medicaid customers to access services near their homes, hopefully increasing their number of prenatal and postpartum visits and leading to healthier parents and infants across New Mexico,” Fowler said.
Clark said most OB-GYN doctors provide labor and delivery services in addition to handling regular patient visits. He said the exception would be nurse practitioners who provide OB-GYN visits but who do not offer labor and delivery services.
“I use the word OB-GYN as opposed to labor and delivery because it’s integral,” he said.
Clark said that within the past year and a half, two rural hospitals in New Mexico have closed their labor and delivery services due to workforce issues and the cost of keeping the services available. He said declining birth rates and the cost and quality burdens to maintain labor and delivery in a hospital are too great for many rural hospitals.
“Currently, we have four hospitals that deliver fewer than 100 babies a year,” Clark said.
He said there are eight hospitals that deliver 200 to 400 babies a year.
Clark said that maintaining labor and delivery services is similar to maintaining an emergency room.
Clark gave an example of a rural hospital that averaged 10 deliveries a month and one month the hospital had six deliveries in one day and the other four came a few weeks later.
He said that for that one day, the hospital experienced pandemonium to manage six newborns and new parents but for most the rest of the month, there were almost no deliveries. But, the hospital has to maintain staff ready for delivery three shifts a day, seven days a week.
“You have a greater than 50 percent chance of not being involved in a delivery for the entire month. It’s a component most people don’t understand. The hospital has to bear the cost of keeping people there. They don’t know when the mothers are going to come to deliver,” he said.
The problem isn’t just cost but keeping staff up-to-date on their skills. If they are routinely not delivering, then they are not maintaining the level of experience in the event of an emergency, Clark said.
Clark said the problem doesn’t just impact rural hospitals and patients. It has a ripple effect on urban hospitals because rural patients wind up in urban hospitals.
“It’s part of the cog of a bigger issue but it’s not the driver of that. It’s not the driver of the pressure on urban hospitals. It contributes but it’s not the driver,” Clark said.
But Clark said it is still an urgent problem. In addition to the two hospitals that closed their labor and delivery in the last year, he said another rural hospital is considering closing its labor and delivery.
“Right now we need to keep them open,” he said.
Clark said the way it would work is a rural patient would go to the nearby hospital, which would provide a room and a nurse. The patient would have their routine prenatal and postpartum visits with the OB-GYN through telehealth with the local nurse taking vitals and providing any on-the ground work needed for the patient.
“ We can’t afford our current hospitals to stop labor and delivery,” Clark said.
Fiery crash during prestigious ballooning race leaves 2 Polish pilots with burns and other injuries - By Susan Montoya Bryan Associated Press
Two balloon pilots from Poland who were competing in the prestigious Gordon Bennett Cup long-distance race were recovering Tuesday from burns, broken bones and other injuries after their hydrogen-filled balloon struck a high-voltage power line over Texas and exploded before falling to the ground.
Race organizers said the team was flying at an altitude of 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) to pass over the Dallas-Fort Worth airspace around 3:30 p.m. Monday and started their descent a short time later. Within a few hours, the balloon's tracking device indicated that the aircraft's motion had stopped.
Night already had fallen when the crash happened, according to authorities in Kaufman County, Texas. Flames were leaping from the side of the road where pieces of the balloon and basket had landed, not far from an electrical substation.
Residents shared stories on social media about seeing the balloon come down as if it was landing and then seeing it suddenly explode. Some also reported that their power went out while others said their lights flickered.
Steve Howie, the county's emergency management coordinator, said it's believed that the balloon first hit a 138,000-volt transmission line as it was floating about 90 feet above the ground. Then it hit a distribution line that was lower to the ground.
"The balloon filled with hydrogen exploded, caught fire and fell to the ground. Both occupants were injured, one more seriously than the other," he said in a phone interview.
Federal transportation officials would be investigating the crash, Howie said.
The weather and visibility were good at the time, race organizers said.
The pilots — Krzysztof Zapart and Piotr Halas — had been aloft since launching Saturday night from the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta along with 16 other teams representing nine countries. Competitors were aiming to fly the farthest distance in what is known as the world's oldest air race.
The command team that oversees the international competition confirmed Tuesday that the pilots were in stable condition and expressed relief that the outcome was not any worse. Zapart sustained cuts and burns to his legs and arms, while Halas was being treated for burns and broken bones to his legs and midsection.
Event director Tomas Hora said the team's ground crew was at the hospital with the pilots and he thanked balloonists in Texas who were offering their support.
"We are receiving many words of encouragement and support from the other teams participating in the Gordon Bennett and from the ballooning community throughout the United States and the world," Hora said in a statement. "Balloonists are a tight-knit community who never hesitate to help each other in time of need."
There were seven teams in flight Tuesday, with the two leading teams reaching central Georgia. The balloonists have spent days in the air, carrying everything they need to survive at high altitudes as they search for the right combination of wind currents to push their baskets as far as they can go.
They fly throughout the night and into the next day, trading off so one pilot can get some sleep while the other keeps an eye on weather conditions. Each team communicates regularly with race officials and their own weather experts as they gauge their prospects for pushing ahead.
Race organizers described Zapart and Halas as people with adventurous spirits who understand the risks.
Zapart has flown in eight Gordon Bennett races and won the 2019 America's Challenge gas balloon race to break his streak of previous runner-up finishes. For Halas, this marked a return to the Gordon Bennett after having last competed in the event in 1997.
The gas balloon race has roots that stretch back more than a century, and this year marks the first time in 15 years that the United States has hosted the event.
'Ring of fire' solar eclipse will slice across Americas on Saturday with millions along path - By Marcia Dunn AP Aerospace Writer
Tens of millions in the Americas will have front-row seats for Saturday's rare "ring of fire" eclipse of the sun.
What's called an annular solar eclipse — better known as a ring of fire — will briefly dim the skies over parts of the western U.S. and Central and South America.
As the moon lines up precisely between Earth and the sun, it will blot out all but the sun's outer rim. A bright, blazing border will appear around the moon for as much as five minutes, wowing skygazers along a narrow path stretching from Oregon to Brazil.
The celestial showstopper will yield a partial eclipse across the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
It's a prelude to the total solar eclipse that will sweep across Mexico, the eastern half of the U.S. and Canada, in six months. Unlike Saturday, when the moon is too far from Earth to completely cover the sun from our perspective, the moon will be at the perfect distance on April 8, 2024.
Here's what you need to know about the ring of fire eclipse, where you can see it and how to protect your eyes:
WHAT'S THE PATH OF THE RING OF FIRE ECLIPSE?
The eclipse will carve out a swath about 130 miles (210 kilometers) wide, starting in the North Pacific and entering the U.S. over Oregon around 8 a.m. PDT Saturday. It will culminate in the ring of fire a little over an hour later. From Oregon, the eclipse will head downward across Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas, encompassing slivers of Idaho, California, Arizona and Colorado, before exiting into the Gulf of Mexico at Corpus Christi. It will take less than an hour for the flaming halo to traverse the U.S.
From there, the ring of fire will cross Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia and, finally, Brazil before its grand finale over the Atlantic.
The entire eclipse — from the moment the moon starts to obscure the sun until it's back to normal — will last 2 1/2 to three hours at any given spot. The ring of fire portion lasts from three to five minutes, depending on location.
WHERE CAN THE ECLIPSE BE SEEN?
In the U.S. alone, more than 6.5 million people live along the so-called path of annularity, with another 68 million within 200 miles (322 kilometers), according to NASA's Alex Lockwood, a planetary scientist. "So a few hours' short drive and you can have over 70 million witness this incredible celestial alignment," she said.
At the same time, a crescent-shaped partial eclipse will be visible in every U.S. state, although just barely in Hawaii, provided the skies are clear. Canada, Central America and most of South America, also will see a partial eclipse. The closer to the ring of fire path, the bigger the bite the moon will appear to take out of the sun.
Can't see it? NASA and others will provide a livestream of the eclipse.
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR EYES DURING THE ECLIPSE
Be sure to use safe, certified solar eclipse glasses, Lockwood stressed. Sunglasses aren't enough to prevent eye damage. Proper protection is needed throughout the eclipse, from the initial partial phase to the ring of fire to the final partial phase.
There are other options if you don't have eclipse glasses. You can look indirectly with a pinhole projector that you can make yourself, including one made with a cereal box.
Cameras — including those on cellphones — binoculars, or telescopes need special solar filters mounted at the front end.
SEEING DOUBLE
One patch of Texas near San Antonio will be in the cross-hairs of Saturday's eclipse and next April's, with Kerrville near the center. It's one of the locations hosting NASA's livestream.
"Is the city of Kerrville excited? Absolutely!!!" Mayor Judy Eychner said in an email. "And having NASA here is just icing on the cake!!!"
With Saturday's eclipse coinciding with art, music and river festivals, Eychner expects Kerrville's population of 25,000 to double or even quadruple.
WHERE'S THE TOTAL ECLIPSE IN APRIL?
April's total solar eclipse will crisscross the U.S. in the opposite direction. It will begin in the Pacific and head up through Mexico into Texas, then pass over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, the northern fringes of Pennsylvania and New York, and New England, before cutting across Canada into the North Atlantic at New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Almost all these places missed out during the United States' coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in 2017.
It will be 2039 before another ring of fire is visible in the U.S., and Alaska will be the only state then in the path of totality. And it will be 2046 before another ring of fire crosses into the U.S. Lower 48. That doesn't mean they won't be happening elsewhere: The southernmost tip of South America will get one next October, and Antarctica in 2026.
GOING AFTER THE SCIENCE
NASA and others plan a slew of observations during both eclipses, with rockets and hundreds of balloons soaring.
"It's going to be absolutely breathtaking for science," said NASA astrophysicist Madhulika Guhathakurta.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's Aroh Barjatya will help launch three NASA-funded sounding rockets from New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range before, during and after Saturday's eclipse. The goal is to see how eclipses set off atmospheric waves in the ionosphere nearly 200 miles up that could disrupt communications.
Barjatya will be just outside Saturday's ring of fire. And he'll miss April's full eclipse, while launching rockets from Virginia's Wallops Island.
"But the bittersweet moment of not seeing annularity or totality will certainly be made up by the science return," he said.
‘We stand with the victims’: The Navajo Nation has a sweeping new victim’s rights law - Shondiin Silversmith, Az Mirror via Source New Mexico
On the Navajo Nation, when an alleged perpetrator of domestic violence is released from detention, there is no guarantee that the victim will be notified promptly by tribal law officials.
Navajo Nation Council Delegate Amber Crotty said the issue became evident during the peak of COVID-19, when she heard from domestic violence victims about how their perpetrators had shown up on their doorstep without warning, leaving them terrified or traumatized.
But that is changing, thanks to the Navajo Nation Victim’s Rights Act of 2023, a law that will provide victims of sexual assault and rape, domestic violence and other violent assaults with the protection and support they need as they wait for justice.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed the act into law on Sept. 6. It expands the rights of victims and their families and assures victims receive adequate support, proper notice and vital resources.
“This is a strong starting point to show the victims and their loved ones that we hear their voices, that we understand their concerns, and that we care as lawmakers and members of the communities in which these crimes are committed,” Crotty said in a press release announcing the passage of the legislation.
“We stand with the victims, families, and advocates who have fought for these amendments to our laws for far too long,” she added.
The new law clearly defines the meaning of a “victim” and “advocate.” It also clarifies what “without consent” means in relation to sexual assault and rape crimes, which has created barriers for many victims and families, according to the Navajo Nation Council.
“This is a critical step in the fight to provide more support and resources for our Navajo people, who are victimized and awaiting justice and healing,” Navajo Nation Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley said.
The new law also shows victims that they have rights on the Navajo Nation, Crotty said, and that they now have access to resources and advocates who will help them through the process.
For instance, if a victim needs help to obtain a police report for a protection order or help to work with the detention center to get an update on their case, this new act provides them the advocate service they would need to do so.
“If you were a victim of crime on the Navajo Nation, you should have a right to have that information,” Crotty said, adding that the new law guarantees victims some of these standard victim rights like the right to be notified of court proceedings or to be heard at sentencing their case.
Crotty sponsored the bill and carried it through the legislative process but noted that it resulted from a culmination of years of work among victim advocates, victims of crimes, multiple Indigenous-led organizations, law enforcement officials and tribal leaders.
“As leaders, we have to continue to do more to provide support for our people and to ensure that resources are available to enact and enforce these provisions,” Crotty said.
During the signing, Nygren shared that he has seen firsthand the impacts of living in an environment where domestic violence exists and how children have no control over what is happening.
He said that made it easy for him to sign this measure into law, because it will ensure that tribal leaders will continue to protect and be there for Navajo people who don’t have access to resources.
“People who didn’t have a voice have a voice now,” Nygren said.
Crotty said the next steps include working with the Navajo Nation Department of Justice, especially the office of the prosecutor, to build a response to the crimes impacting the Navajo Nation.
In addition, the new law includes language that spells out the rights of victims of sexual assault and rape, domestic violence and other violent assaults.
Here is a rundown of some new language introduced in the new law:
o To participate in the criminal justice system by being present and heard, which includes proceedings involving release, plea, sentencing, or any parole proceeding.
o To confer with the prosecution after the crime against the victim(s) has been charged, before the trial, or before any disposition of the case and to be informed of the disposition.
o To be provided information about the sentencing and imprisonment of the accused perpetrator and to read pre-sentence reports relating to the crime against the victims at the time such reports are available to the defendant(s).
o To provide a victim impact statement to the court, which the court is required to consider in making sentencing determinations and restoring k’é.To be notified of a perpetrator’s or the accused’s release not less than 24 hours prior to such release.
o To be timely notified of court proceedings.
o To be notified within less than 48 hours of the crime being reported of their rights and to be provided information relating to how the case will move forward and the services that are available to the victim.
o To receive prompt restitution from the person or persons convicted of the criminal conduct that caused the victim’s loss or injury and have restitution orders enforced.
o To be free of intimidation, harassment, abuse, and uninitiated contact from the accused or individuals in close relation to the accused.To request and utilize the services of an interpreter or translator if needed.
o To the presumption of the imposition of pre-trial release conditions in favor of protecting a victim, including but not limited to a stay-away order.
Preview of ‘Native America’ season 2 to screen at KiMo Theatre - By Bryce Dix, KUNM News
A preview of PBS’ second season of “Native America” — a series highlighting contemporary Indian country here in the U.S. — is set to be screened Oct.10 at the KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque.
The series will consist of 4 hour-long episodes, following innovation in space, women, athletes, and initiatives to save Indigenous languages and culture.
According to a press release, the television series was created with active input from Native American communities and was filmed by Emmy Award-winning cinematographers.
The preview starts at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a moderated discussion with the filmmakers by Sean Spruce, host of the national radio program “Native America Calling.”
“Native America” premieres on Tuesdays, October 24 through November 14, 7-8 p.m. MT on PBS.
“Native America Calling” is a financial contributor of KUNM, and has been promoting the event on our airwaves. KUNM will also have a booth there.
Sunrise gatherings, dances and speeches mark celebration of culture on Indigenous Peoples Day - By Mark Thiessen And Morgan Lee Associated Press
Events across the country — including a sunrise gathering in Minneapolis, a statehouse rally in Maine, a celebratory march in Seattle and traditional dancing, music, and food in Alaska and Arizona — marked celebrations of Indigenous Peoples Day.
The ceremonies, speeches and performances in traditional regalia Monday came two years after President Joe Biden officially commemorated the day honoring "America's first inhabitants and the Tribal Nations that continue to thrive today."
At a gathering in Phoenix where dancers performed in traditional Aztec clothing, Sifa Matafahi said it was an opportunity to "pay respect to Indigenous cultures ... to reflect on our past and history, while also acknowledging our cultural presence."
A celebratory march was held in Seattle and a sunrise ceremony at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco. In Minnesota, about 150 people, including the governor and lieutenant governor, attended a sunrise prayer and ceremony at Bde Maka Ska, a lake surrounded by parkland on the south side of Minneapolis.
"Today, we recognize our ancestors and predecessors who really laid the foundation for us to stand," said Thorne LaPointe, an organizer, who is Sicangu Lakota. "And we will always recognize our elders who are here and those who have gone on before us, who really kicked open the doors in their time, nationally and internationally."
Seventeen states and Washington, D.C., have holidays honoring Indigenous people, according to the Pew Research Center. Many of them celebrate it on the second Monday of October, pivoting from a day long rooted in the celebration of explorer Christopher Columbus to one focused on the people whose lives and culture were forever changed by colonialism. Dozens of cities and school systems also now observe Indigenous Peoples Day.
"I think it just look a long time because we are Indigenous People — we always have to fight for recognition as we have been since the first ships arrived," Matafahi said in an interview at the gathering in Phoenix.
In Augusta, Maine, several hundred people celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day by rallying outside the State House in support of a Nov. 7 statewide vote that would restore language about the state's obligations to Native American tribes to printed versions of its constitution.
Maulian Bryant, Penobscot Nation ambassador and president of the Wabanaki Alliance, said once people understand the importance to Native Americans, they will support it like they did when towns, and then the state, enacted Indigenous Peoples Day.
Bryant recalled the successful grassroots conversations that took place about the legacy of Columbus, whose arrival brought violence, disease and suffering to Native Americans.
"We want to honor the true stewards of these lands," she said.
In South Dakota, dozens of people marched to a memorial at a park honoring Native American children who died at the Rapid City Indian School in the late 1800s before it was closed in 1933.
Others who gathered in Anchorage, Alaska, said a celebration like the one there Monday would have been unheard of six decades ago.
Gina Ondola, a Dena'ina Athabascan, said she graduated from East Anchorage High School in 1962 with only four or five other Alaska Natives in her class and certainly no Indigenous culture club.
"We didn't learn much about our history," she said. Instead they were taught how white Europeans who came to North America were slaughtered by Native Americans.
"When I was growing up, I didn't feel too much pride in being Native. I always heard about 'drunk Natives,'" said Odola, who was wearing black gloves with red and white beadwork to represent her family's colors.
"It feels good for me to be able to feel pride in who I am," she said.
The Anchorage celebration included Alaska Native dance groups, traditional Alaska Native game demonstrations and a student wearing a "Molly of Denali" costume. The PBS show was the nation's first children's series to feature Indigenous leads.
Abigael Hollis, a freshman film student at the Institute of American Indian Arts, was among those who attended a powwow at a downtown plaza in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It brought together Native American dancing groups from throughout the state and beyond, as well as Native American jewelers, potters and weavers who sold artwork at outdoor stands.
"It's celebrating the fact that my ancestors lived to have me, and that we're still around and that we can celebrate each other and love each other," said Hollis, who is of Cherokee ancestry and wore traditional dress, including a coming-of-age necklace made of buffalo bone and glass beads.
New Mexico, which is home to 23 federally recognized Native American communities, replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day through legislation in 2019.
The Santa Fe festival began with a blessing by dancers from nearby Tesuque Pueblo — an acknowledgement that the city stands on the pueblo's ancestral lands, said Caren Gala, who heads the Santa Fe Indigenous Center and helped organize the powwow.
"We wanted to pay respect and homage to that — that this is their land," said Gala, who is affiliated with three pueblos, Laguna, Taos and Nambé.
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Lee reported from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Associated Press writers David Sharp in Augusta, Maine, Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis and Scott Sonner in Reno, Nevada, and photographer Ross Franklin in Phoenix contributed to this report.
PNM settles disability discrimination lawsuit - KUNM News, Albuquerque Business First
The Public Service Company of New Mexico and PNMR Services Company, or PNM, is set to pay out $750,000 to settle an employment discrimination lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and charged PNM with disability discrimination, saying it didn’t accommodate qualified employees with disabilities, and even fired employees because of them.
The money will go towards back pay and damages for ten individuals.
A spokesperson for the company told Albuquerque Business First that PNM denies the allegations, but intends to do more to prevent discrimination.