Taylor Velazquez
ReporterTaylor is a reporter with our Poverty and Public Health project. She is a lover of books and a proud dog mom. She's been published in Albuquerque The Magazine several times and enjoys writing about politics and travel.
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New Mexico’s students are facing challenges both inside and outside the classroom that make learning difficult. A community school model that connects families with resources like healthy meals or mental health counseling is touted as a potential solution. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss how community schools might help our floundering education system.
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New Mexico is experiencing a statewide doctor shortage, losing about 30% of our primary care physicians in the last four years. Resident physicians at the University of New Mexico represented by the Committee of Interns and Residents (CIRSEIU) are seeing the impact and will be holding a “unity break” event Wednesday to demand better pay and benefits after five months of negotiations that have gone nowhere.
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Social media has become a common way for people to communicate and share ideas. However, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory earlier this year about the effects of social media use on young people and their mental health after use of platforms has become nearly universal.
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It’s that time of year again to prepare for several winter respiratory diseases that will be circulating in the next few months. The New Mexico Department of Health held a briefing Tuesday, about several new developments for vaccines in order to avoid the possibility a tripledemic.
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As we head into the cooler months we’re already seeing COVID cases and hospitalizations on the rise, and the FDA just this week approved an updated COVID vaccine.
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The Children, Youth, and Families Department has faced scrutiny in the past for placing foster youth in their office to stay for periods of time. Interim Secretary Teresa Casados committed to ending these stays by working on restructuring the department. But she does not say there is a definite date for the stays to end.
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A national campaign created by the Social Security Administration is trying to reach more people who qualify for financial help but are not taking advantage of it.
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The Children, Youth, and Families Department has made a recent decision that will allow children in state custody to keep federal benefits owed to them, instead of using those payments to support foster care.
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Back to school season can be stressful for students and according to national statistics, kids in the U.S. are experiencing a mental health crisis. New Mexico ranks 47th in youth mental health, with about 1 in 5 kids experiencing depression. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss how mental health is key to student success.
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During the COVID pandemic, Congress required that Medicaid keep people continuously enrolled throughout the public health emergency order. But that order has ended and now nearly 60,000 New Mexicans have lost their health insurance. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll discuss how this unwinding process will impact health outcomes.