Here’s a look at today’s headlines:
Grant County has been awarded $11,573 to supplement and expand emergency food and shelter programs. This award is part of $120 million that Congress has appropriated for EFSP, and the award for this area is based on the total number of unemployed as compared to the total number of unemployed in all qualifying jurisdictions in the country. The Phase 32 Local Board for Grant County will decide the distribution of the funds based on established priorities among community needs. Funds go to non-profit organizations that meet the criteria in assisting the neediest with emergency shelter, food, and assistance with rents and utilities.
The New Mexico Department of Health and Project ECHO announced a new collaborative effort to treat TB patients in New Mexico. Project ECHO, or the Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, utilizes telementoring and knowledge sharing to build primary care capacity to treat complex conditions such as TB. According to Department of Health data, there were 50 cases of active TB in New Mexico in 2014, which is a rate of 2.4 per 100,000, compared to the national rate of 3.0. Tuberculosis is an airborne disease and is the second leading infectious disease killer in the world.
.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) being signed into law: “Five years ago today, hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans had no access to health insurance. Our state had one of the highest rates of uninsured, and among the highest rates for chronic disease. Many New Mexicans couldn’t afford to see a doctor when they or their children got sick. They didn’t have access to life-saving cancer screenings. Too many were one serious illness from bankruptcy. Five years later, it’s clear the Affordable Care Act has been incredibly important to New Mexico. Over 230,000 more New Mexicans now have insurance, and — thanks to the law — health care is one of the strongest parts of our economy. Being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. Children can stay on their parents’ health care policies until they turn 26. And people with pre-existing conditions have protection.
Deming Public Schools elected Ron Wolfe as president of the Board, with John Sweetser serving as vice president and Bayne Anderson as secretary. After electing officers, the board put off a decision that would make Deming Public Schools year-round schooling. Residents, staff, and students all turned out last week to learn more about the proposal, and to make their opinions heard during the public forum portion of the meeting. A fifth grader gave a presentation to the board about why she believed the new calendar would negatively affect students, and her mother asked the members to consider all DPS students and “not just some poor demographic students” when making their decision.
