New Mexico Department of Health

 In the race for herd immunity, New Mexico is being heralded around the country as an unlikely frontrunner. Over half of the state’s population has gotten at least one dose of vaccine. But when it comes to some demographics hit hardest by the virus, vaccination rates are falling short. The numbers continue to highlight what the pandemic put into sharp relief—structural racism interfering with public health efforts.

2020 was a long year. We don't have to tell you. It was a constant barrage of reality-shaping events, and it hasn’t stopped. What is different for us now that we are on the verge of—maybe, knock on wood—coming out of the pandemic? How are the leaders we elected approaching their duties now? How are activists applying what they’ve learned to push their causes forward? How are the people who experienced hardship pre-pandemic adapting to a possible post-pandemic life? No More Normal reflects on last year while keeping our focus on the future.

Let's Talk New Mexico 3/11 8am: There’s now a third COVID-19 vaccine available in our state and more New Mexicans than ever are getting called in to get the jab. But how will the process be affected by the state's new goal of getting all K-12 educators and early childhood professionals their first dose by the end of March? And what about kids? Should they get vaccinated?

On the next Let’s Talk New Mexico, we’ll dive into the newest phase of COVID vaccination with guests from the Department of Health and community health organizations. We'll also talk to disease and vaccine specialists and medical doctors who can answer your questions about COVID-19 and immunization.

Almost exactly a year after Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham first ordered K-12 schools closed to reduce spread of the coronavirus, her administration announced all schools statewide must fully reopen by April 5.

Overdose deaths have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the CDC, and many people are delaying or avoiding medical care due to concerns about the virus. The New Mexico Crisis and Access Line decided to partner with Digital Therapeutics Group LLC so those living with addictions can get support online. Launched in November with funding from the Department of Human Services Behavioral Health Division, the 5-Actions Program is free and anonymous. KUNM’s Nash Jones spoke with the app’s creator, John Fitzgerald, to learn more about the program.

New Mexico opened up a new phase in its rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine on Friday and, on Tuesday, the Trump administration announced it will begin speeding up distribution of available doses. KUNM’s Nash Jones spoke with Matt Bieber, Communications Director for the Department of Health, about the state’s strategies for getting more shots into more arms, and how the process works.

As COVID-19 hospitalizations remain high in New Mexico, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order Friday that enables hospitals to plan for a “crisis standard of care,” when they’ll need to ration care because they lack the resources to meet demand. Albuquerque hospitals are working to stave off the crisis.

University Showcase Friday, 11/20, 8a: On this episode we meet Dr. Tracie Collins, the women selected this month by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham to be the new secretary for the New Mexico Department of Health. Collins has served as Dean of the UNM College of Population Health since 2019.

Albuquerque Public Schools and the Albuquerque Teachers Federation came to an agreement Thursday that all teachers will have the option to work remotely for at least the first month of the semester. The memo adds some clarity to a plan the school board passed last week that says students will go to a hybrid model after Labor Day if it’s safe to do so. But it’s unclear what the public health data will need to look like for schools to be considered “safe.” And teachers with underlying conditions could lose their school placements if they get accommodations to teach online for the whole semester.

As Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham eases restrictions in New Mexico starting Saturday, we talk about the factors that signal when and how to reopen the country: testing, contact tracing, modeling, antibody tests and treatment. In episode 61, we hear about test expansion and antibody test development, a new treatment involving plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients, and what it's like to be sick with the virus. 

In episode 56, we explore New Mexico’s upcoming limited reopening of restaurants and retail stores. What needs to be considered in terms of how to stay safe during a reopening and what are the best practices? 

The New Mexico Department of Health Sunday, Mar. 16, announced amendments to the public health order to slow the spread of COVID-19. The changes involve new rules for restaurants, including staying at or below half occupancy, having no more than six people at a table, and positioning the tables at least six feet apart. Local restaurants in Albuquerque’s International District are working to comply with the order while weathering a significant drop in business.

Albuquerque Public Schools is rolling out several new suicide prevention initiatives following a series of student deaths over the last year and calls from the community to do more. Amid concerns that district policy may deter students from talking to staff about thoughts of suicide, APS is partnering with Bernalillo County to roll out a peer support program in some schools.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for New Mexicans ages 10-34 years and the numbers are rising, especially among teenagers, according to the New Mexico Department of Health. The City of Albuquerque is partnering with the state to provide mental health intervention training to the public.

For the second time in less than six months, people are calling on Albuquerque Public Schools to address the issue of suicide following more student deaths. The largest school district in the state has announced it’s rolling out new prevention initiatives, but students and advocates say more tracking and specialized support is needed.

New Mexico lawmakers amended the proposed Tobacco Products Act on Wednesday, Feb. 12, to make the new regulations friendlier to retailers, including reducing licensing fees and eliminating criminal penalties.

New Mexico high schoolers are more than twice as likely to vape nicotine than use traditional tobacco products, according to the state’s Department of Health. A bill moving through the state Legislature that would license tobacco in the state for the first time would also regulate e-cigarettes. 

As kids head back to school soon, districts must contend with a new state law allowing students with a medical marijuana prescription to take their medicine at school. New Mexico health and education officials are working to iron out details like how schools will store medication and who can administer it.

Let's Talk New Mexico 7/18 8a: Thousands of New Mexicans with intellectual and developmental disabilities have waited years to get access to group homes, therapies and other services. We’ll discuss the plan Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced this month to get everyone off the waitlist for the developmental disability (DD) waiver program over the next six years. Have you or someone you know been on the waitlist? What would it take to get everyone the services they are eligible for in a timely fashion? Email us your thoughts at LetsTalk@kunm.org, or call in live during the show.

The state is looking to hire hundreds of new employees over the next two weeks. Agencies will accept walk-in applicants at “rapid hire” events in Carlsbad, Roswell, Farmington, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces. 

Flu season is here and state officials are urging people to get vaccinated.

Around 36,000 people across the country die each year from the flu, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There’s been a sharp uptick in confirmed West Nile virus cases this year, alongside recent heavy rains.

The state Department of Health and Governor Susana Martinez are advising people to take precautions against the mosquito borne disease.

The state Department of Health has struggled to quickly process applications for the medical cannabis program, and supplies sometimes run short. Lawmakers have proposed a bill that could address those issues and improve access for patients.

Flu season starts next month. The state Department of Health is asking people to get vaccinated before the disease starts to spread.

Lawmakers are trying to stop the planned closure of a youth detox center in Albuquerque. The Turquoise Lodge detox service was funded by the state three years ago, but now the Department of Health says not enough kids are using it and the money needs to be redirected to services for adults.

The New Mexico Department of Health is reporting a nine percent drop in drug overdoses in 2015.

New Mexico health officials are reporting the first confirmed case of measles in the state since 2012. The one-year-old victim was released from the hospital yesterday, but health officials are taking the opportunity to remind residents to get vaccinated.