New Mexico health councils seek recurring funds from lawmakers

New Mexico health council officials this week asked state lawmakers for recurring funds ahead of the next legislative session in order to sustain community public health efforts throughout the state.

New Mexico’s county and tribal health councils, established by the Legislature, provide frontline health and coordination in communities spread throughout the state, particularly in rural areas. Currently, 33 county health councils and 10 tribal health councils operate across New Mexico.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the health councils served nearly 400,000 New Mexicans by providing masks and tests, Valeria Alarcón, executive director of New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils, told lawmakers on the interim Economic and Rural Development and Policy Committee on Tuesday. Health councils have stepped up with emergency responses to extreme weather events throughout the state as well.

“Whether it’s fires, heavy rains or floods, counties have relied on their health councils to support evacuations and to get necessary supplies to shelters,” Alarcón said. She added that health councils play an important role in New Mexico’s efforts to rebuild behavioral health infrastructure as well. 

But funding uncertainty hinders health councils’ efforts every year, Alarcón told Source NM. The health councils have had to secure one-time funding allocations every year since 2024, with the Legislature appropriating $4 million last legislative session. As a result, the councils also experience staffing instability. On average, she said, the councils experience a 20% turnover annually.

“People get nervous around January and February, like, ‘Am I going to have a job come July?’” she said.

State Rep. Jenifer Jones (R-Deming) said she understands the need for recurring funding and added the health councils do “great work” in her district by providing transportation for medical appointments and administering vaccines through the council’s mobile units. “Being unsure if you’re going to have a job affects everything you do, all the decisions you make,” she said.

Maryanne Miceli, secretary and treasurer for the Alliance of Health Councils, told lawmakers she works directly with New Mexicans facing substance use and mental health challenges, housing instability and barriers to healthcare. 

“I see firsthand how important community-based resources are. I also see what happens when those resources are unavailable,” Miceli said, adding that the state “cannot build healthier communities when the resources supporting them remain uncertain.”