UNM Hospital

University of New Mexico Hospital’s top brass and local leaders met with community members on Aug. 26 for a feedback and listening session focused on how the hospital can provide better care.

Nearly 1.2 million people have died from COVID in the United States since the first cases emerged four years ago, according to the CDC.And today an estimated 16 million people have the lingering symptoms of long COVID, with about one quarter of them no longer able to work. Researchers at the University of New Mexico Hospital are using findings from a multi-site long COVID study to learn how to diagnose prolonged symptoms and provide better treatment.

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.

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.

The New Mexico Department of Health says new COVID-19 cases have been trending downward. Still, those on the frontlines are feeling the effects of providing care these last three years. Health care workers at the University of New Mexico are planning a protest Thursday morning to demand better working conditions.

Acting New Mexico Health Secretary Dr. David Scrase said at a briefing Thursday that the peak of the pediatric RSV surge may now be behind us, but the kids who do have it remain sicker than usual.

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.

Pediatric units across New Mexico are operating at or above capacity due to a simultaneous surge in COVID, flu and RSV, along with other viruses, among children. At a briefing Monday, representatives from the state’s largest hospital systems urged parents and guardians to practice prevention and at-home care when possible.

Northwest New Mexico is a national hot spot of COVID according to the latest CDC data. Eight counties, including Bernalillo and Santa Fe, have high community levels of COVID19, which factors in hospitalization rates, while 23 additional counties show the highest levels of transmission. Flu cases are also rising rapidly.

The pandemic has challenged schools and universities in ways big and small. In medical schools, including at UNM, the anatomy labs are struggling with a lack of bodies for dissection.