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

SPONSOR Harrison

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

2/6/06

HM 27

SHORT TITLE Year of the Child Partnership

SB

ANALYST Lewis

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY06

FY07

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD)

Public Education Department (PED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of House Memorial

House Memorial 27 requests that the Department of Health explore all opportunities to partner

with Wings of America in order to implement the various initiatives of the “Year of the Child” to

ensure that Native American youth are included in any positive changes impacting their futures

and well-being; and that a copy of this memorial be transmitted to the Secretary of Health.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

No fiscal impact.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

Wings of America (WOA) (

http://www.wingsofamerica.org/

) is a program of The Earth Circle

Foundation, Inc., Santa Fe, NM. The mission of Wings of America is to enhance the quality of

life for American Indian youth. In partnership with Native communities, Wings uses running as a

catalyst to empower American Indian and Alaskan Native youth to take pride in themselves and

House Memorial 27 – Page

2

their cultural identity, leading to increased self esteem, health and wellness, leadership and hope,

balance and harmony.

According to Wings of America a survey conducted in 2000 showed a 99% high school gradua-

tion rate, with 94% of WOA participants going on to college. Results of the survey indicated that

overall, participants are attaining a higher level of education, have lower incidences of arrests,

less use of alcohol and illegal drugs, are having their first child a year or two later than average,

and are more physically active and maintaining healthier lives than their same-age peers in the

larger American Indian and general populations.

According to the Department of Health (DOH),

HM 27 addresses health issues related to physi-

cal inactivity, including obesity and diabetes, among Native American youth. Children and ado-

lescents with weight problems are at increased risk for becoming adults with weight problems,

and may develop risk factors for heart disease (abnormal cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood

sugar) at an early age. Adults with a weight problem are at increased risk for diabetes, heart dis-

ease, stroke, certain cancers, and arthritis. Native American adults are about three times more

likely to have diagnosed diabetes than non-Hispanic Whites and Hispanics.

The DOH Physical Activity & Nutrition Program for Healthier Weight and partners will conduct

a pilot physical activity and nutrition intervention for healthier weight among adolescents and

their families in Grants, New Mexico. However, HM 27 is not part of the DOH executive budget

request.

According to the Indian Affairs Department (IAD), the partnering of Wings of America, with its

goal of encouraging Native American youth to live in a healthy way, and the NM Department of

Health seems to dovetail perfectly with the goals of the DOH Strategic Plan for FY 2006-2007,

including:

Reduce Teen Pregnancy

Reduce Child and Adolescent Obesity and Diabetes in All Populations

Reduce Youth Suicide

Reduce Tobacco Use

A partnership between Wings of America and DOH would be beneficial for New Mexico youth,

especially in 2006, designated by Governor Richardson as “The Year of the Child.”

The Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) quotes Governor Richardson as stating

that a key goal of the Year of the Child is to provide a future “where every child can grow up

healthy, attend world class schools, go to a good college, get a good paying job, and raise a fam-

ily right here in New Mexico” and that “Physical activity and nutrition are also critical to keep-

ing New Mexico’s children healthy and fit.”

CFYD adds that regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of certain behavioral

health disorders, such as depression, and medical conditions, such as diabetes, and that participa-

tion in supervised activities has been shown to increase youth resiliency, reduce juvenile justice

involvement, including criminal gang association.

ML/nt