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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Gardner

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

02/04/07

HB 338

SHORT TITLE UNM Institute of Public Health Costs

SB

ANALYST Williams

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

$500.1

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SB 45

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

Relates to the LFC budget recommendation for higher education and $1.5 million for the

program development enhancement fund

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Higher Education Department (HED)

University of New Mexico (UNM)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 338 appropriates a total of $500,060 thousand to the board of regents of the

University of New Mexico for the Institute of Public Health, of which $387,783 thousand is for

personnel costs and $112,277 thousand is for equipment.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $500,060 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the

general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year

2008 shall revert to the general fund.

House Bill 338 – Page

2

UNM provides the following details on use of the funds appropriated in this bill:

Building on the Master’s of Public Health (MPH) demonstration program located in Shiprock,

which after three years of coursework graduated 15 MPH students, this appropriation would fund

a regional MPH extension program. Like the Shiprock students, the students in the extension

program will most likely be in the workforce while attending MPH courses.

Gallup is being considered as the next extension site because of the potential for financial

support from the Indian Health Service and Navajo Nation and the active interest at UNM Gallup

branch. The program would move on from Gallup after one or two cycles of students to a new

extension site identified on the basis of need and feasibility.

•

In preliminary planning, UNM indicates the program would run for two cycles of

students. Once these students complete, the program will move to another site at a cost of

$190.0 thousand.

•

Funds would provide for a planning year for a PhD in public health, to be done in

collaboration with New Mexico State University at a cost of $10.0 thousand.

•

Outreach for continuing education for the current public health workforce, including

specific skills training, workshops, etc. This is in response to needs assessments

performed with the Department of Health Public Health Division in 2006 and has a cost

of $100.0 thousand.

•

Support for the Institute of Public Health for the core MPH program, including support

for faculty in environmental health, for adjunct faculty to address New Mexico health

disparities, and for adapting the public health curriculum for web-based courses at the

School of Medicine at a cost of $200.0 thousand.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

HED notes this proposal was submitted in the budget process for $500.0 thousand, but was not

included in the HED request. UNM board of regents includes this proposal in the “Community

Across the State" legislative priorities.

The higher education funding formula provides for general fund appropriations for instruction

and general purposes through a two-year lag between generation of student credit hours and

workload funding. Further, the program development enhancement fund created in 21-1-27.4

NMSA 1978 is the formula mechanism to provide for start-up funding to:

•

Expand instructional programs to meet critical statewide work force and professional

training needs;

•

Enhance instructional programs that provide employment opportunity for New Mexico

students in a global economy and

•

Develop mission-specific instructional programs that build on existing institutional

academic strengths.

The LFC budget recommendation includes $1.5 million for the program development

enhancement fund to be allocated by the HED after considering needs of all higher education

institutions.

House Bill 338 – Page

3

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

HED notes: Per information from its website, the Institute for Public Health (IPH) promotes and

coordinates public health research, education, and services through collaborations within the

UNM Health Sciences Center and with external partners. Some of the services provided:

•

Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems;

•

Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts;

•

Link people to health services and help ensure the provision of healthcare;

•

Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of health services;

•

Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

UNM notes “New Mexico has an urgent need for professionalization of its public health

workforce in the field."

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

1.

What performance measures are collected and reported by the Institute of Public Health.

2.

Are performance targets being achieved.

3.

What types of professional outreach would be provided within the $100.0 thousand of the

appropriation. How does this relate to other outreach offered by the state. To what

extent are fees and private funding available for this purpose.

AW/nt