Ten years ago then-Governor Susana Martinez froze the Medicaid funding of 15 behavioral health agencies in New Mexico after the state Human Services Department said an audit found “credible allegations of fraud.” While all the accused providers were later cleared by the attorney general, the incident severely disrupted the state’s behavioral health care system. On the next Let's Talk New Mexico we'll ask, "where are we now with our behavioral health care system?"

On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico we’ll talk about residential solar power. We’ll go over government incentives to make solar power more affordable, whether solar installations are now affordable enough to make sense economically, and we’ll discuss the environmental impact solar power and the equipment to produce it can have. We’ll also talk about those folks knocking on doors trying to get homeowners to sign up.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year, more people are coming to New Mexico for abortions and lawmakers passed a bill to ensure access. But counties and local governments have passed ordinances to restrict abortion and at least one is suing to overturn that state law. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico we get an update on all this.

Recently, Albuquerque’s City Council voted down an ordinance that would have established a basic, online landlord registry meant to track data on rental units across the city. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll explore the complex relationship between landlords and tenants plus ongoing efforts to regulate the industry.

Our warming atmosphere is giving us stronger storms, hotter summers and winters with an unpredictable snowpack that is shifting growing seasons and putting water supplies at risk. You may have noticed changes in your home garden, while farmers across the state are adapting to protect their livelihoods, generations-old lifeways, and our food supply.

On the last Let’s Talk New Mexico we discussed our state’s troubled foster care system. After many listener calls and emails and many new questions, we’ve decided to continue the conversation this week – focusing on solutions.

Let's Talk New Mexico, 4/27/23: Three years ago, the state promised to stop housing foster youth in offices and youth shelters that don't have the necessary mental healthcare resources. However, a recent reporting series found that these practices are still going on amongst many other challenges. , we’ll take a look at the current standing of our child welfare system and what it will take to ensure foster youth are finding supportive placements, while working to comply with the Kevin S. lawsuit.

The 2023 legislative session is in the rearview mirror, but soon interim committee hearings will start up around the state in preparation for the 2024 session which begins next January. In this week’s show, we will talk about transparency, including several bills aimed at increasing transparency in government that recently succeeded or failed. We will also talk about the budget process and how it works, and how transparent it is – or is not. As the state continues to see record revenues, knowing how our money is spent is everybody’s business.

Going to school when you don’t feel good can make learning hard. New Mexico has struggled to climb out of our last place ranking in education but also with providing quality healthcare. School based health centers may be a solution.

It’s hard to get an appointment with a doctor right now and recent data helps explain why. From 2017 to 2021 the number of primary care physicians in the state dropped by 30%, and specialists are leaving too. Some providers are leaving for another profession or retiring, but others are leaving New Mexico for better pay or for more balanced lives in states with more robust healthcare systems.