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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Begaye
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
01/27/08
HB 411
SHORT TITLE Culturally Sensitive Substance Abuse Program
SB
ANALYST Weber
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY08
FY09
$150.0
Recurring
General Fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Human Services Department (HSD)
Indian Affairs Department (IAD)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 411 appropriates $150 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs
Department for a culturally competent substance abuse program for the Ramah Chapter of the
Navajo Nation.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $150 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to
the general fund.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
The Indian Affairs Department notes:
Issues related to cultural differences in the context of health care are especially salient for the
Indian population in New Mexico. According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights:
pg_0002
House Bill 411 – Page
2
For many Native Americans, there is a concern that health care providers’ cultural
insensitivity and the lack of acceptance of traditional healing practices and traditional
medicine may create barriers to receiving care. Accordingly, it is important that
‘culturally competent’ health services be available to Native Americans. If health
services are not offered to the targeted patient population in a culturally and linguistically
appropriate manner, treatment will remain ineffective and any effort to eliminate racial
and ethnic health care disparities will fall short.
Native Americans suffer disproportionately from alcohol and substance abuse. According to the
United States Department of Health and Human Services, for the period between 2002-2005,
Native Americans were more likely than members of other ethnic groups to have experienced
alcohol or illicit drug use disorders, meaning dependence or abuse. During that same period,
10.7% of Indians were found to have an alcohol use disorder, compared to 7.6% among other
racial groups, while 5% of Indians were found to have an illicit drug use disorder, compared to
2.9% in the population overall.
According to 2000 Census estimates, approximately 74.72% of McKinley County’s 74,798
residents are Native American. The Ramah Chapter is located within McKinley County New
Mexico. “Between 1975 and 1985, McKinley County experienced chronic alcoholism at
nineteen times the national average, alcohol-related traffic accidents at seven times the national
average, and deaths from all alcohol-related causes at four times the national average." It is
thought that McKinley County's alcohol problem “is a problem endemic to Indian Country.
According to 2002 Indian Health Service statistics, American Indians and Alaska Natives die
from alcoholism at nearly eight times the rate of Americans generally.
There are many recognized traditional healing approaches from various ethnicities in New
Mexico. Those include Native American traditional healers, Hispanic curanderos, the Sikh
communities, and other groups. Many Native American traditional healing practices have been
shown to be effective means of addressing substance abuse and related disorders in New Mexico,
utilizing interventions such as talking circles, tribal/sheriff/Governor/marriage sponsors, sweat
lodge peacemakers, prayer meetings, family group conferencing, and traditional healing
ceremonies. For example, the Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. was established in 1992 to address the
problem of intoxication in McKinley County and the City of Gallup, NM. The program, at the
Na'Nizhoozhi Center, has demonstrated positive outcomes in addressing the substance abuse
needs of individuals seeking substance abuse treatment with the integrated use of traditional
healing techniques. The federally funded Access to Recovery grant, currently managed by the
Behavioral Health Services Division, funds traditional healing through substance abuse recovery
support services and has shown positive outcomes with this approach.
MW/bb