General
LLCP Mission Vision Values handout
NMHSC Stipend Reference Letter for 2023
Talking with Your Children About Cannabis
New HIV infections associated with former VIP Spa in Albuquerque - June 26, 2023
Changes to enrollment cards starting June 16, 2023
New Fingerprinting Service Provider IdentoGO FAQs May 2023
Governors Proclamation Gun Violence Awareness Month 2023
The New Mexico Department of Health has identified five cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS) in New Mexico residents in the first five months of 2023, already exceeding the average annual case count.
Updated SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 Test Result Reporting Instructions
Introduction to Using Syndromic Surveillance for Monitoring Mental Health-related Indicators
Final Decision Regarding Petition for Insomnia to be included as a qualifying condition for enrollment in the Medical Cannabis Program
This fee schedule will be updated on an annual basis to reflect the most current service payments for the HIV Services Dental Program.
Both the CDC and FDA are reporting national shortages of Benzathine penicillin G (Bicillin L-A®) due to increased demand: FDA Drug Shortages and CDC - STD Treatment - Drug notices. The FDA anticipates the issue will be resolved by the fourth quarter of this year. There are no emergency stockpiles of this medication and existing supplies are very limited.
The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is seeing low influenza activity statewide and considers the need for seasonal precautions for the prevention of influenza to be over. Moving forward, only occasional and isolated cases of influenza are likely to occur. However, with sporadic influenza activity, it is still possible to see rare summer-time outbreaks of influenza-like illness (ILI), and COVID-19 activity remains unpredictable. ILI is defined as fever of greater than 100° F and cough and/or sore throat in the absence of another known cause. An influenza outbreak is defined as one confirmed case of influenza (by PCR test) and any other cases of ILI in the same geographic location. Since flu circulation is likely to be low outside of the main respiratory season, any rapid positive influenza results should be confirmed by PCR before declaring an outbreak. Outbreaks should be reported to the on-call epidemiologist 24/7/365 at (505) 827-0006.
The CDC and FDA have streamlined COVID-19 vaccine recommendations, authorizing the use of bivalent COVID-19 vaccines for all recommended doses. In addition, previously unvaccinated individuals ages 6 and older are now recommended to receive one dose of a bivalent COVID-19 vaccine, and people ages 65 and older and those with immune compromise can receive a second bivalent vaccine. The monovalent Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use in the United States.
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) recently issued an alert regarding overdose deaths in the US linked to Xylazine, a non-opioid central nervous system depressant. It is used as a sedative, anesthetic, muscle relaxant, and analgesic in veterinary medicine and has not been approved for use in humans. Xylazine is usually mixed with other illicit drugs, like fentanyl, because it causes the effects of opioids to last longer. In New Mexico, six xylazine-involved deaths were reported in the last five years. Xylazine is an unscheduled drug that is easily accessed, so its presence in the illicit drug supply may increase over time, due to its low cost. Reports indicate that xylazine, alone or in combination with other drugs, is administered by injecting, snorting, swallowing, or inhaling it.
Lead exposure can have adverse effects on various organs and systems in the body, resulting in negative health effects, both acute and chronic, depending on the level of exposure or dose, exposure duration, and other factors including dietary. In New Mexico, industries where lead exposure is common include public safety, radiator repair, mining and construction.
Lead poisoning continues to be an important, preventable environmental health problem. However, only a low number of children in New Mexico are screened for lead each year. This document provides technical guidelines for screening and managing cases of childhood lead poisoning.