Health Care

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, who previously served as the state’s health secretary before getting elected to Congress, spoke at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night on the topic of health care.

The United Health Professionals of New Mexico rallied outside University of New Mexico Hospital’s Sandoval Regional Medical Center on Monday calling for a 3% raise that every other employee received.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham issued her proclamation on Wednesday for a special session that starts on Thursday. She was joined by other leaders from around the state who support the session, despite pushback from lawmakers in her party.

New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced Tuesday that his office is investigating allegations that a Las Cruces hospital has denied care to cancer patients with low incomes or who are uninsured.

Amid a recent uptick in heat, a large group of health professionals held an extreme heat summit Thursday to identify and discuss the dangerous public health consequences of climate change.

New Mexicans seeking health care are facing increasing wait times for crucial appointments. According to a Legislative Finance Committee report, the state is in need of more health care workers than any other profession. While the state looks at loan forgiveness and recruitment and retention efforts, a local high school aims to raise the next generation of these professionals.

A new diagnostic method can dramatically reduce the use of CT scans on pediatric patients, which reduces their risk of cancer later in life. KUNM reports it came out of a three-year multi-site study that included researchers at the University of New Mexico.

A nonprofit in Albuquerque has seen a sudden increase in the animal tranquilizer Xylazine being used as an adulterant in street drugs. It carries several negative side effects, including possible rotting flesh, and uncontrollable sleeping from which the victim cannot be woken.

Hospital acquisitions are growing across the country, and that’s leading to higher prices for patients. Many of those deals involve private equity, which often makes cuts to certain care to drive up profits, or religious organizations that might refuse types of care that they don’t support.New Mexico is at an especially high risk for deals that could limit health care. It also has a new law that could curb that.

A new, one-of-a-kind law took effect in New Mexico two years ago that did away with behavioral health co-pays for people in certain insurance plans. A new study on the law says results so far are mixed.