New Mexico Department of Health

New Mexico is one of just five states that has kept its COVID-19 public health emergency order in effect. It was set to expire Friday but the governor announced it will stay in place for the rest of the month — the last of 41 extensions since March, 2020.

The New Mexico Department of Health is requesting an 11% bump in state dollars as federal funding for the department shrinks following boosts during the pandemic. The proposal highlights the DOH’s priority of addressing staffing shortages.

At a news conference Thursday, Acting New Mexico Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said he keeps track of how long COVID has been around in his journal, and that this week New Mexico hit day 1,000 as challenges persist. Cases are up, PCR testing is becoming less accessible and indoor masking is recommended in several counties.

Pediatric hospital units at New Mexico’s largest hospitals continue to fill due to an early surge of RSV and flu compounded by other viruses, including COVID. Health officials are not yet positive whether the early onset means the surge will also end sooner, but say it could peak in January and end in March.

The New Mexico Department of Health announced today that the first "probable case" of monkeypox has cropped up in the state. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are reportedly conducting a second round of testing to confirm. DOH says the individual was likely exposed during out-of-state travel and is isolating at home.

A public health task force mandated by state lawmakers has been meeting since last September and is now seeking public input on its recommendations to strengthen the state’s public health infrastructure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The draft report names racism and climate change as top priorities in New Mexico. KUNM reporter Jered Ebenreck explains.

The Department of Health gives first COVID19 update in 3 months, announcing the departure of the State Epidemiologist and acknowledging a new surge of cases in NM. Acting Secretary of Health, Dr David Scrase emphasized the value of testing early and treating early.

Evacuation centers not managing dual threats of COVID-19 and wildfire smoke

A newly signed law will make it legal to possess tests to show if a drug contains fentanyl, the number one killer of adults 18-45. But last year, a bill to authorize safe drug consumption sites failed to pass the legislature. On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico we’ll dive into harm reduction strategies, whether they work and why they make people so uncomfortable.

On this #YNMG we’re dedicating the entire episode to one piece of legislation that is now on Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham’s desk waiting for her signature. House Bill 52 is an amendment to the Harm Reduction Act. Overdoses from Fentanyl are the top killer of young adults in New Mexico, but HB52 will give drug users a new tool that will make them a little safer – fentanyl test strips.