Jeff Bingaman United States Senator from New Mexico

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jeff Bingaman and Tom Udall today said they are pleased a spending bill working its way through the Senate contains funding they sought for New Mexico health care and education initiatives.

The funding is contained in the fiscal year 2011 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill, which has been approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.  The bill is now ready to be considered by the full Senate.

"This bill gives priority to a variety of effective New Mexico projects.  It seeks to strengthen health care and education initiatives that benefit New Mexicans from across the state," Bingaman said.

"Too often in New Mexico, residents face challenges in gaining access to quality, affordable health care services.  The initiatives in this legislation build upon the progress we've made with recent health care reform by further expanding critical services to traditionally underserved populations," Udall said. "I'm also pleased that this spending bill includes funds for the development of a Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Center of Excellence at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center.  Although this relatively unknown disease affects a disproportionate number of New Mexicans of Hispanic heritage, little is known about its treatment and there is no cure. This new center will give hope to those impacted by this terrible disease by consolidating resources and facilitating collaboration among researchers and doctors."

Cavernous Angioma is a vascular disorder of the center nervous system, believed to be genetically tied to those who migrated from Spain in the 16th century across the southwest United States. It affects approximately 1.5 million Americans, the majority of whom reside in New Mexico. Because the U.S. currently faces a shortage of physicians familiar with the illness, affected individuals have difficulty receiving timely diagnosis and appropriate care.

At Bingaman and Udall's request, the bill contains the following:

$400,000 - Luna County Healthy Start CHANCES Program: Funding would be used to implement a 3-year pilot program within the Luna County CHANCES (Collaboration to Help Assure No Child is Exposed to Substances) program to identify and treat pregnant women and women in their childbearing years who are using alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and/or prescription drugs.  The program would be implemented at three Healthy Start sites in Deming, Columbus and Lordsburg.

$250,000 - Community Health Center in Silver City: Funding would support the development and construction of a Hidalgo Medical Services primary care facility in Silver City.

$200,000 - Elev8 New Mexico (FIE): Funding would be used for extended day learning programs in five New Mexico middle schools who serve primarily disadvantaged minority students.  Sites include two Albuquerque Public Schools - Grant Middle School and Wilson Middle School – and Native American Community Academy charter school also in Albuquerque: Gadsden Middle School in Anthony; and Laguna Middle School at the Pueblo of Laguna.  Each school would utilize $50,000 to provide after school and summer programs that include tutoring and educational programs that reinforce school curriculum and physical activities.

$150,000 - Transitional Living Program for At-Risk Women Veterans with Children: Funding would help YWCA Middle Rio Grande achieve optimal staffing levels and provide a comprehensive transitional living program for up to 20 at-risk women veterans and their children, a program which does not currently exist in New Mexico for this specific population.  The program will provide skills assessment and referral to education and/or other programming that will prepare women for a successful entry into the workforce.

$150,000 - ENLACE New Mexico: Funding would be used to develop and sustain academic programs designed to engage Latino students in the learning process for successful completion.  Specifically, it will be used to expand a parent ambassadors program, as well as to expand and maintain a mentoring and tutoring program.  ENLACE will split the funds between five regions in the state.

$150,000 - San Juan College Renewable Energy Program Expansion: Funding would be used to help San Juan College develop an online program for courses for their Renewable Energy Program and certificate programs in green technologies.

$100,000 - New Mexico Mission of Mercy Dental Services: Funding would help the New Mexico Foundation for Dental Health, Research and Education's new initiative to help provide dental services to New Mexicans who can't afford it.  Funds would be used to transport all the dental equipment and lab supplies, underwrite all the set-up, dismantle and logistics costs, and fund program coordination and promotion for the event.

$100,000 - Cerebral Cavernous Malformations CARE Center at the University of New Mexico: Funding would support the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center's development of a Cerebral Cavernous Malformations CARE (Clinical, Advocacy, Research and Education) Center of Excellence to provide primary care education and research and to increase awareness of the disease.

$1 million – National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Center for Hispanic Health: Funding would be used to help the Center with its mission to improve, promote and advocate for the health and well-being of Latino communities. The goal is to reduce and eliminate health disparities and respond systematically to the unmet health promotion and disease prevention needs of Hispanic families.