Inside this issue:

DWI Awareness Week 2

DWI Memorial Open

House

2

NMPHA Health Policy

Legislative Forum

3

A Dose of RxEality 3

Underage Drinking

Prevention

3

TCPO Open House 4

No newsletter next

week due to holiday.

This is the first edition of

the health council’s week-

ly newsletter.

Instead of forwarding

countless emails, I will try

to include newsworthy

information/ announce-

ments in this format each

Friday.

So be sure to send me

what you think should be

shared with our PHTC

readers.

Let me know your feed-

back — I’m a novice at

this.

Billie R. Clark

bclark@lobo.net

New PHTC Weekly Newsletter

The New Mexico Health

System Innovation Team

provided the following

update on progress to-

ward the State HSI Plan

development.

First, an update on the

HSI Plan:

The Department of

Health received notice

from the Centers for Med-

icare and Medicaid Inno-

vation that they were

allowing State Innovation

Model (SIM) Design

states the option of apply-

ing for a No Cost Exten-

sion to complete our New

Mexico Health System

Innovation Plan

(NMHSIP). We are going

to take them up on it,

which will allow more

time for completion of

stakeholder input on the

All Payer Claims Data-

base component and from

Mercer, the Human Ser-

vices Department Actu-

ary, who will be evaluat-

ing potential cost savings

related to design strate-

gies. It will also allow

more time for stakeholder

plan review and feedback

over the next few months.

Please take note of the

following:

The December 15, 2015

Stakeholder Summit

has been postponed

and will be rescheduled to

take place in March 2016

at the Doubletree Hotel

in Albuquerque, details

on the exact date and

time to follow at a later

date.

The NMHSIP will be

posted on the DOH web-

site as planned with an

opportunity to provide

feedback. A notice of the

posting will be sent out to

stakeholders when it be-

comes available. A survey

link will accompany the

plan when posted, which

will allow you to provide

feedback, if you wish.

http://nmhealth.org/

about/asd/opa/sim/

PHTC Weekly News

NM Health System Innovation Update

P a r t n e r s h ip f o r a H e a l t h y T o r r a n ce C o m m u n i t y

November 20, 2015

Volume 1, Issue 1

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Torrance County values the health and

safety of all our citizens. Local leaders, in

government and in the community, know

that the support of the people in our com-

munities is the most effective tool they

can have in their efforts to reduce use of

alcohol and other drugs by New Mexi-

cans.

Torrance County is joining with the New

Mexico DWI Coordinators Affiliate to

support their efforts to reduce DWI

crashes, DWI fatalities and the use of

alcohol by residents throughout the

State. The New Mexico DWI Coordina-

tors Affiliate represents 33 counties with

the common goal of reducing the inci-

dence of DWI, alcoholism, alcohol abuse,

drug addiction or drug abuse and pre-

venting or reducing the incidence of do-

mestic abuse related to the use or abuse

of alcohol.

The DWI Coordinators in these counties

provide services under Local DWI Pro-

grams that provide Compliance Monitor-

ing/Tracking for over 13,634 DWI Offend-

ers ensuring that these offenders are in

compliance with Court Ordered require-

ments. These programs throughout the

State also provided more than 29,145

hours of treatment in 2014 with over

13,875 offenders receiving detoxifica-

tion services.

Alcohol involved fatalities in New Mex-

ico are down from 152 in 2009 to 133 in

2013 and serious alcohol involved inju-

ries are down from 987 in 2009 to 668

on 2013. Alcohol involved crashes in

New Mexico have also been on a down-

ward trend from 3,396 in 2006 to 1,955

on 2013

The reduction in alcohol involved vehi-

cle crash fatalities and serious alcohol

involved vehicle crash injuries is due in

part to the hard work of the Local DWI

Programs.

22,745 students (K-12th grade)

throughout the State received preven-

tion education/activities through these

programs. The New Mexico Youth

Risk and Resiliency Survey data for

students in grades 9 through 12 shows

the following changes from 2009-2013:

Current Drinking down from 50.7% to

28.9%; Binge Drinking down from

35.4% to 17.1%; Drinking & Driving

down from 19.1% to 8.9%; and Drinking

Before Age 13 down from 35.8% to

22.3%. The LDWI prevention programs

appear to have a positive impact on

alcohol related behaviors of New Mexi-

co youth.

The purpose of DWI Awareness Week

is to raise awareness around DWI, alco-

holism, alcohol abuse, drug addiction

and/or drug abuse, and the efforts of

the DWI Affiliates and the Local DWI

Programs. Activities will focus on edu-

cating Legislators and the community

on the efforts of the DWI Affiliates and

Local DWI Programs.

DWI Awareness Week will be celebrat-

ed in every county in New Mexico the

week of November 16—21, 2015.

All citizens, parents, governmental

agencies, public and private institu-

tions, businesses, health providers and

schools in Torrance County are urged

to support efforts that will increase

community awareness, understanding

and action to address DWI in our com-

munity.

DWI Awareness Week Nov 16—21, 2015

DWI

Memorial

Open House

Dec 6, 2015

PHTC Weekly News Page 2

Hello Public Health Champions!

The 12th Annual NMPHA Health Poli-

cy Forum is coming up on December

9th at the Albuquerque Embassy Suites

Hotel! Registration is now open at

www.nmpha.org. Early bird regis-

tration ends November 30th, so

make sure to register early!

As part of the Legislative Forum agen-

da, time is reserved for the annual

presentation of legislation being pro-

posed for the upcoming NM Legislative

session in January. Whether you are in

the development stage or fully intend to

submit legislation, this is an opportuni-

ty to share it with your public health

colleagues and potential support-

ers. Complete and submit the Leg-

islative Proposal Submission Form

found on the NMPHA website

http://www.nmpha.org/ and your

effort will be included in the con-

ference brochure and you, or a rep-

resentative, will have an oppor-

tunity to briefly present (generally

in 2-4 minutes) a summary of your

legislative initiative at the morn-

ing general session. Please tell

NMPHA about your initiative, and be

part of this annual event! We have

extended the deadline to December

1st.

Law enforcement agencies will conduct

holiday season saturation patrols on

the following nights:

Fridays - Nov 20, Nov 27, Dec 4,

Dec 11, Dec 18

Saturdays—Nov 28, Dec 5, Dec 12,

Dec 19, Dec 26

Thursday, Dec 31

Officer overtime pay provided by the

Torrance County DWI Program.

out where your kids, grandkids,

babysitters, friends or strangers can get

their hands on them.

Thanks to our state and community

partners who are helping PHTC United

Prevention to educate and inform:

NMBHSD Office of Substance Preven-

tion (OSAP), Mountainair Meds n

More, May Pharmacy, KXNM 88.7 FM,

and PMS Torrance Senior Services.

New Mexico’s drug overdose death rate

jumped 20% last year, with

prescription painkillers to blame in

more than half of those deaths.

NM now ranks 3rd for the number of

teens who report abusing dangerous

opioid drugs. Nearly two-thirds of those

teens say they get the drugs from fami-

ly members or friends. And because

they are prescription drugs, they be-

lieve they are safer than street drugs

like heroin or cocaine.

We must educate everyone about the

dangers and risk of addiction from

abusing prescription painkillers, AND

the dangers of leaving your medicine

NMPHA Legislative Forum

Underage Drinking Prevention

Prescription Painkiller Abuse

Page 3 Volume 1, Issue 1

12th ANNUAL NMPHA HEALTH POLICY

LEGISLATIVE FORUM

“Healthy Communities”

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 7:30 am—5:00 pm

Embassy Suites Albuquerque 1000 Wood ward Place NE

Albuquerque NM

TCPO

Open House

Dec 8, 2015

A healthy community is one where all people have the opportunity

to lead productive lives and develop to their fullest potential. It is

rooted in the soil of stable families, schools, bodies of governance,

service agencies, and a cohesive local economy. Health and well-

being reflect in qualities of resiliency in the face of challenge, life-

giving connectedness to people and place, creative expression in

home and work, and loyalty to community. Knowing that health

and well-being are both individual and collective, all residents of

Torrance County have the opportunity and responsibility to learn,

grow and participate in making decisions that support abundant

life in our shared home.

Our mission is to improve the quality of daily living for

all Torrance County residents through shared services,

collaboration, and enhancement of health and social

service programs.

c/o DWI Memorial

P.O. Box 534

Moriarty NM 87035

Phone: 505-832-4495

E-

Pa r t n e r s h i p f o r a H e a l t h y T o r r a n c e C o m m u n i t y Page 4