health shortages

A national report looking at the availability of mental health care providers shows 144 million Americans are living in shortage areas, including people in New Mexico.

Medical licensure compacts have been a priority this session as lawmakers attempt to address the health care worker shortage. One bill would allow dentists and dental hygienists licensed in other states to practice here more easily. But with less than a day left in the session, that bill appears to have stalled.

Lawmakers are once again debating how to reform New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws this session, reigniting a long-running fight over balancing patient rights and the cost of practicing medicine.

The New Mexico Senate passed an interstate medical compact bill unanimously on Friday to allow doctors licensed in other states to more easily practice here.

In its annual Honesty and Ethics poll, Gallup has named nursing as the nation’s most trusted profession. In light of New Mexico’s persistent medical professional shortages, nurses say this should be a call to action to support the nursing workforce with more investments to keep patients safe and healthy.

The state of New Mexico has expanded its grant program aimed at getting more primary care physicians working across the state. In the past, this effort focused on funding new or expanded residency programs. The grants will now also go to support existing programs in need of funding.

The debate over medical interstate compacts will return to the Roundhouse in this session. Supporters say the compacts would allow medical workers from other states to practice in New Mexico, addressing the worker shortages.

New numbers highlight the shortage of school-based mental health professionals in New Mexico. The University of New Mexico’s Project ECHO has launched a program seeking to target these gaps by mentoring those working directly with kids.

A new executive director for Healthcare Services has taken the reins at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center, and she’ll be taking on huge budget overages when it comes to inmate health care. Using traveling nurses to cover inmates' needs is costing the jail millions of dollars.

New Mexico has been facing a shortage of thousands of health care workers for years, and during a presentation to lawmakers last week, the Legislative Finance Committee said it will be even worse five years from now.