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

SPONSOR	Taylor, J.P.		DATE TYPED	2/9/04		HB	265/aHEC
SHORT TITLE		Alzheimer’s Disease Training Program				SB
					ANALYST		Baca

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained

Estimated Additional Impact

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY04

FY05

FY04

FY05

$50.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

Duplicates to SB 415

Relates to Appropriation in the General Appropriation Act

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Commission on Higher Education Funding Recommendations for FY05 (CHE)

Responses Received From

Agency & Long-Term Care Department (ALTCD)

CHE

NMSU, College of Health & Social Science (CHSS)

Health Policy Commission (HPC)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HEC Amendment

The House Education Committee amendment adds the following language:

“The institution receiving the appropriation in this bill shall submit a program evaluation to the Legislative Finance Committee and the Commission on Higher Education by August 2007 detailing the benefits to the State of New Mexico from having implemented this program over a three period.”

Synopsis of Original Bill

House Bill 265 appropriates $50 thousand from the general fund to the Board of Regents of NMSU for the College of Health and Social Services at NMSU to develop distance education courses and programs in post-graduate geriatric nursing certificate and an undergraduate gerontology minor to students.

Significant Issues

Aging baby boomers, the large number of elderly in New Mexico as a percent of the total population and the ever increasing needs of the frail elderly are creating a need for more health and social service practitioners trained in gerontology. This need is intensified by the relocation of more elderly to the Southwest. This bill proposes funding so NMSU CHSS can develop distance education courses to address a critical need: educate current and future nursing, public health and social service professionals in gerontology.

The ALTCD reports that New Mexico’s two and four year colleges have only a few courses in gerontology preparing them to work with an older Alzheimer’s disease population. The result is a serious shortage of adequately prepared health and social service practitioners trained to meet the needs of the aging population.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $50 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY05 shall revert to the general fund.

OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES

NMSU CHSS and the HPC cite the New Mexico Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association report that there are 32,000 persons with Alzheimer’s disease or a related disorder in New Mexico. Another 100,000 spouses, children, family and friends provide care and support to a loved one with the disease.

NMSU CHSS also reports that these 132,000 New Mexicans struggle daily with:

· Financial stress.

· Depression and exhaustion.

· Insufficient or inappropriate care options.

· Inadequately trained, low paid and overworked direct care staff.

AMENDMENTS

The following language is suggested for all new recurring higher education programs and expansion of current programs (assuming that funding will continue beyond FY05):

LB/yr