SENATE BILL 1067
47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2005
INTRODUCED BY
Bernadette M. Sanchez
AN ACT
RELATING TO HEALTH; CREATING A MULTICULTURAL HEALTH OFFICE IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; PRESCRIBING POWERS; CREATING A HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL AND A NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH COMMISSION; PRESCRIBING DUTIES; MAKING AN APPROPRIATION.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
Section 1. MULTICULTURAL HEALTH OFFICE CREATED--POWERS.--
A. The "multicultural health office" is created in the department of health, to be headed by a director appointed by the secretary of health. The office shall:
(1) review and make recommendations to the secretary on the orientation, substance and implementation of all department programs as they affect multicultural populations;
(2) ensure that public information efforts of the department, both promotional and educational, are designed for maximum effectiveness among multicultural populations;
(3) integrate technical assistance to all agencies of the department to ensure program implementation with appropriate cultural sensitivity;
(4) develop standards and monitor programs for accountability in regard to cultural considerations;
(5) cooperate with the New Mexico health policy commission in gathering health data and information on health problems specific to the various multicultural populations; and
(6) ensure departmental emphasis on prevention and early intervention programs for multicultural populations.
B. The New Mexico health policy commission shall, after consultation with the multicultural health advisory council and the Native American health commission, design and implement a data collection system to provide all appropriate information necessary to make optimum health care policy to best serve New Mexico's diverse populations.
Section 2. MULTICULTURAL HEALTH ADVISORY COUNCIL--DUTIES.--
A. The "multicultural health advisory council" is created consisting of eleven members, each of whom must be a member of a cultural or ethnic group, to be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the governor. Appointees shall be selected from recommendations made to the governor from various statewide and regional cultural and ethnic groups and populations affected by state health programs, and shall include:
(1) one member from the Navajo Nation;
(2) one member from the Apache tribes;
(3) three members from various pueblos;
(4) three members of Hispanic descent; and
(5) three members from other cultural populations, selected to give representation to rural and urban populations around the state, as well as to advocacy and consumer organizations.
B. The council shall elect a chair from among its members and shall meet quarterly or at the call of the chair to consider and make recommendations to the secretary of health on health needs of various multicultural populations, including: (1) special needs related to chronic and other health conditions more prevalent among minorities than other population groups;
(2) access to health care services and programs for multicultural populations;
(3) improved cooperation and coordination between the department of health and other health care delivery systems operating in New Mexico;
(4) issues unique to border and migrant populations;
(5) appropriate cultural competence course material for all health education programs in New Mexico's institutions of higher education; and
(6) levels of appropriate cultural competence to be included in licensing requirements for all New Mexico health-related professions.
Section 3. OFFICE DIVISIONS--DUTIES.--The multicultural health office shall have two divisions with responsibilities and duties as follows:
A. an Hispanic population division with the duty to assess, investigate and make recommendations to the department for methods to improve the health of New Mexico's Hispanic populations; and
B. a Native American population division with the duty to assess, investigate and make recommendations to the department for methods to improve the health of New Mexico's Native American populations.
Section 4. NATIVE AMERICAN HEALTH COMMISSION--MEMBERSHIP--APPOINTMENT--DUTIES.--
A. The "Native American health advisory commission" is created and is administratively attached to the department of health. Members of the commission shall be appointed for two year terms by and serve at the pleasure of the governor and shall be selected as follows:
(1) the president of the Navajo Nation or a designee;
(2) the president of the Mescalero Apache tribe or a designee, serving alternate two years terms with the president of the Jicarilla Apache Nation or a designee;
(3) two members recommended by the chair of the all Indian pueblo council;
(4) a representative of the Indian health service familiar with the needs of the Navajo Nation reservation population;
(5) a representative of the Indian health service familiar with the needs of the Navajo Nation urban population living in the Albuquerque area;
(6) a representative from the center for Native American health at the university of New Mexico;
(7) a Native American individual health care practitioner providing services to an urban Native American population;
(8) the secretary of human services or a designee;
(9) the secretary of health or a designee;
(10) the secretary of children, youth and families or a designee;
(11) the secretary of public education or a designee; and
(12) the secretary of Indian affairs or a designee.
B. The commission shall assess, investigate and make recommendations to the multicultural health office and to the secretary of health on health issues, specific or unique to Native American populations and the health care systems that serve them.
Section 5. APPROPRIATION.--Three hundred seventy-five thousand dollars ($375,000) is appropriated from the general fund to the department of health for expenditure in fiscal year 2006 to establish and maintain the multicultural health office in the department. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of fiscal year 2006 shall revert to the general fund.
- 6 -