Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today announced that New Mexico has been awarded funding through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support important public health programs in the state.

Funding was made possible through grant programs established under new health insurance law that took effect six months ago, including a grant program authored by Bingaman aimed at modernizing and improving the nation's public health and disease surveillance systems.

The New Mexico Department of Health will receive $380,081 to help increase epidemiology, laboratory and health information systems capacity.  Funding can be used for the hiring and training of epidemiologists, laboratory scientists, and health information specialists who can work on multiple infectious diseases; to increasing the number of modern, well-equipped public health laboratories using electronic laboratory information systems to manage and exchange information effectively between labs and public health departments and to help the health department implement the use of electronic laboratory-based reporting.

Additionally, the state will receive a $60,340 grant to help implement plans to reduce tobacco use through regulatory and educational means.

"These grants will support initiatives aimed at keeping New Mexicans healthy," Bingaman said.