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Lujan Grisham Announces Healthcare Action Plan, Receives Support from over 150 Healthcare Leaders

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham

Commentary: Today, Michelle Lujan Grisham released her plan to build a Healthcare System that Works for all New Mexicans. The action plan details the nine steps she will immediately take as governor to make healthcare more accessible to New Mexico families.

“Healthcare should be a right, not a privilege,” said Michelle Lujan Grisham. “Too many New Mexicans suffer from a healthcare system that is understaffed, hard to understand, and not affordable. As governor, I will immediately take action to bring stakeholders from around the state and country to the table to build a healthcare system that delivers accessible, high-quality, and affordable healthcare to all New Mexicans.”

 

Michelle’s action plan to make high-quality healthcare accessible to all New Mexicans consists of nine steps:

  1. Maximize federal funding for Medicaid, opioid addiction treatment, and other core healthcare needs to help build up our workforce, infrastructure, and delivery system.

  1. Protect New Mexicans from the destructive policies of the Trump Administration and the GOP Congress by ensuring ongoing insurance coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and implementing a Medicaid buy-in program.

  1. Make the healthcare system easier to understand and simpler to use, and let providers spend more time taking care of patients, instead of dealing with bureaucracy.

  1. Recruit and retain more healthcare providers and increase incentives for them to work in rural communities.

  1. Fix our broken behavioral health system by rebuilding New Mexico’s behavioral health provider infrastructure and ensuring we have the necessary continuum of care.

  1. Drive down healthcare costs through innovative strategies that harness the state’s purchasing power in Medicaid and public employee and retiree health plans and drive down drug costs.

  1. Support prevention and public health initiatives that will reduce the need for healthcare services, address the social determinants of health, and keep our families and communities safe and healthy.

  1. Prioritize policies that meet the needs of New Mexico’s most vulnerable populations, including children, seniors, persons with disabilities, Native Americans, immigrants, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

  1. Build system capacity to provide services to 4,500 people with developmental disabilities and their families, who currently have to wait more than a decade to receive services through the Developmental Disabilities (DD) waiver program, and seek a support services waiver to help provide some temporary relief to families on the waiting list.

You can read the full policy here.

Additionally, New Mexicans for Michelle announced the names of more than 150 healthcare leaders who trust Michelle Lujan Grisham to be our next governor and ensure that all New Mexicans have access to high-quality healthcare. They include nurses, physicians, mental and behavioral health specialists, and essential healthcare aides from across New Mexico:

Danielle Abeyta, RN, Albuquerque
Abinash Achrekar, MD, Albuquerque
Kathleen Allen, MD, Albuquerque
Shannon Allen, CRNA, Hobbs
Dale Alverson, MD, Albuquerque
Charles Anderson, MD, Taos
Angelica Archuleta, RT, Taos
Ruben Archuleta, RT, Alcalde
Milena Archuleta, FNP-BC, MBA, Albuquerque
Jennifer Armenta, Health Assistant, Albuquerque
Karen Armitage, MD, Santa Fe
Sanjeev Arora, MD, Albuquerque
Fallon Bader, RDN, Albuquerque
Bea Balsamo, PA, Dixon
Diane Baptista, Nurse, Albuquerque
Noelle Barody, Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Albuquerque
Patricia Bartels, Physical Therapist, Albuquerque
Cheyenne Beardsley, Health Coach, Albuquerque
Phyllis Bergman, NP, Cedar Crest
Elizabeth R Berrey, Phd, RNCS, Albuquerque
Ian Bicol, CRNA, Roswell
Beth Black, Physical Therapist, Albuquerque
Charles Bonfanti, PA, El Prado
Mary Breault, RN, Albuquerque
Joanna Brightwater, NP, Bosque Farms
Stephen Broderson, DDS, Santa Fe
Jennifer Bryan, RN, Albuquerque
Renee Butler-Lewis, MD, Albuquerque
Lionel Candelaria, Surgeon, Albuquerque
Christa Castro, PA, Taos
Marissa Chacon, Pharmacist, Peñasco
Linda Chase, RN, Arroyo Seco
Katherine Chavez, RN, Albuquerque
Lance Chilton, MD, Albuquerque
Jacques Choniard, Paramedic, Albuquerque
Linda Corbet, RN, Santa Fe
Donna Curran, RN, Albuquerque
Teresa Dalke, RT, Arroyo Seco
Buzz C Daniel-Toy, BSN, ACRN, Alcalde
Lou Ann Darras, Psychotherapist, Albuquerque
Linda Divincenzo, RN, Albuquerque
Gloria Doherty, NP, Albuquerque
Jessica Doke, RN, Albuquerque
Jean Dunlap, RN, Albuquerque
Paul Dunn, DDS, Albuquerque
Jason Duprat, BSN, MSA, CRNA, Albuquerque
Elizabeth Dyer, CRNA, Albuquerque
Karen Endacott, MD, Santa Fe
Lucus Enslin, NP, Albuquerque
Brian Etheridge, MD, FAAP, Silver City
Elizabeth Etherton, NP, Albuquerque
Molly Faulkner, NP, Albuquerque
Jan Fawcett, MD, Santa Fe
Georgena Felicia, Psychotherapist, Albuquerque
Lucy Whyte Ferguson, Chiropractor, El Prado
James Gallegos, RPH, Chimayo
Jesus Galvan, DDS, Albuquerque
Erika Gonzales, Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Los Lunas
Deborah Good, Psychotherapist, Albuquerque
Rhonda Gutierrez, Mental Health Therapist, Roswell
Judy Henry, RN, Santa Fe
Judith Henry, RN, Santa Fe
Libby Hopkins, RN, Albuquerque
Nate Huff, Orthopedic Surgeon, Albuquerque
Fernando Indacochea, MD, Las Cruces
Denise Inight, RN, Albuquerque
Geilan Ismail, MD, Taos
Luis Izquierdo, MD, Albuquerque
Debra Jaccard, Psychiatric NP, Bernalillo
Martha Jaramillo, RN, Arroyo Seco
Ashley Jaramillo, MD, Albuquerque
Maria Jaunakais, Audiologist, Albuquerque
Steve Jenison, MD, Dixon
Melinda Jochems, Pharmacist, Albuquerque
Gregory Jochems, MD, Albuquerque
Devan Keane, CRNA, Albuquerque
Patricia Keane, MS, RD, Albuquerque
Martin Kistin, MD, Associate Director of Project ECHO, Albuquerque
Audra Kochansky, CRNA, Albuquerque
Chris Larranaga, Case Manager, Albuquerque
Reuben Last, MD, Albuquerque
Rachel Leung, MS, RDN, Albuquerque
Amy Maestas, RT, Taos
Davina Maestas, RT(R)(M)(CT), Taos
Alan Mahrenholz, PhD Cardiac Sonographer, Taos
Michelle Martinez, RT, Albuquerque
Tony Martinez, LMT, Albuquerque
Kori Martinez, RN, Albuquerque
Barbara McAneny, MD, CEO of NM Cancer Center, Albuquerque
Jennie McCary, MS, RDN, Albuquerque
Cate McClain, MD, Los Ranchos
Jane McGrath, MD, Albuquerque
Peggy McNamara, RN, Santa Fe
Ellyn T Medrano, COTA/L, Albuquerque
Greg Mertz, MD, Albuquerque
Candi Miller-Morris, RN, Roswell
Sandy Mishkin, RN, MSN, MEd, Albuquerque
Kelly Mitchell, RN, Moriarty
Barbara Mohon, Registered Dental Hygienist, Santa Fe
Gilbert Montoya, RT, Santa Fe
Melissa Moore, Midwife, Albuquerque
Belinda Mori, NP, Albuquerque
Commissioner Ralph Moya, Behavioral Health Specialist, Tucumcari
Chris Mroz, CRNA, Albuquerque
Tapuwa "Doreen" Mupfumira, MD, Albuquerque
Maggie Nechvatal, MPH, RN, Albuquerque
Than-tam Nguyen, Certified Nurse Midwife, Albuquerque
Patrick Nuzzo, DN, Santa Fe
Kathleen O'Malley, Therapist, Albuquerque
Steven Padilla, MD, Albuquerque
Diane Paolazzi, NP, Santa Fe
Nancy Passikoff, RN, Raton
Pat Payne, Certified Nurse Midwife, Los Ranchos
Michelle Peacock, NP, Albuquerque
David Peer, Chiropractor, Albuquerque
Sandra Penn, MD, Albuquerque, NM
Joyce Phillips, MD, Albuquerque
Charlotte Pickett, MD, Albuquerque
Michael Pridham, Chiropractor, Albuquerque
Anita Ralstin, Family NP, Albuquerque
Sylvia Ramos, MD, Albuquerque
Sandra Reiger, RN, Los Lunas
Sara Robbins, RDN, Albuquerque
Stephanie Rogus, PhD, RDN, Las Cruces
Jessica Alcon Romero, CFNP, Taos
Marcos Romero, RT(R), Taos
Tom Rothfeld, MD, Albuquerque
Stasia Ruskie, RN, Albuquerque
Ernesto Santistevan, Clinical Psychologist, Santa Fe
Mariam Savabi, MD, Albuquerque
Tom Scharmen, MPH, Albuquerque
Nicole Seitz, Mental Health Counselor, Albuquerque
Fallon Shane, RD, Albuquerque
David Siegel, MD, Los Ranchos
John Sloan, MD, Albuquerque
Shannon Starkey, RN, Albuquerque
Juliette Sweet, Naturopathic ND, NSAYU, Jemez
Bill Syme, MD, Albuquerque
Bob Tilley, RN, Albuquerque
Tisha Tyler, RN, Peñasco
Mark Unverzagt, MD, Albuquerque
Dona Upson, MD, Albuquerque
Joe Valles, DDS, Albuquerque
Catherine Veilleux, NP, Espanola
Rochelle Vineyard, Dental Assistant, Albuquerque
Anna Voltura, Surgical Oncologist, Santa Fe
Ron Voorhees, MD, MPH, Santa Fe
Teresa Watson, RN, Albuquerque
Renee Wilkins, Psy.D., MP, Grants
Cheryl Willman, MD, Albuquerque
Denita Wolf, RN, BCHS, MPH, Placitas
Barak Wolff, MPH, Santa Fe
Jocelyn Wu, OB/GYN, Albuquerque
Melanie Yanke, RN Midwife, Albuquerque
Lizzy Young, Radiologist, Albuquerque
Bee Zollo, RN, Santa Fe

*Titles and affiliations are provided for identification purposes only. Any views expressed are solely those of the individuals in their private capacities, and do not reflect the views of their respective employers, agencies, or organizations.