HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 13

49th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2009

INTRODUCED BY

Jim R. Trujillo

FOR THE WELFARE REFORM OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE

A JOINT MEMORIAL

ENCOURAGING LOCAL SERVICES AND TELEHEALTH FUNDING FOR VETERANS' MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, veterans throughout New Mexico have proudly served their country in greater percentages than in most other states; and

     WHEREAS, veterans who return home often do not want to live in cities where the level of noise and activity can become overwhelming; and

     WHEREAS, small towns throughout New Mexico are home to veterans from World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam Conflict, the first Gulf War and the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, among others; and

     WHEREAS, veterans in small towns are unable to receive the care they once received at home through local hospitals and local providers; and

     WHEREAS, it makes little sense for veterans from all over the state to be able to receive care only in the most populous areas of the state; and

     WHEREAS, veterans from the southeastern quadrant of the state, in particular, have to leave before dawn, in some cases, to catch a van that will take them to Albuquerque and bring them back home after a day of waiting at the veterans' hospital; and

     WHEREAS, electronic medical consultations made available through local health care and veterans' centers could save time, money, gas and grief;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that all New Mexico departments that fund programs for the state's veterans be requested to advocate for the provision of health care that is locally available even in New Mexico's smallest, most remote towns; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the department of health and the human services department be requested to fund programs that utilize telehealth providers to make physical and mental health consultations available to veterans; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretaries of health, human services and veterans' services and to the governor.  

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