SENATE MEMORIAL 21

47th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2006

INTRODUCED BY

Steve Komadina

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING CREATION OF A HEALTH TOURISM TASK FORCE.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a rich cultural heritage that includes both traditional Hispanic and indigenous Native American healing traditions; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico also has an abundance of well-accepted complementary or alternative health care therapies and practitioners, as well as state-of-the-art conventional medical practitioners and facilities; and

     WHEREAS, as many as eighty percent of New Mexico residents and sixty percent of the population of the United States use alternative therapies and Americans are spending more on alternative care than on conventional medical services; and

     WHEREAS, a growing number of tourists worldwide are traveling specifically to receive health and wellness care or treatments that either they cannot receive in their home countries or are too expensive; and

     WHEREAS, many nations, such as India, England, Lithuania and Mexico and the state of Hawaii are promoting themselves as health tourist destinations; and

     WHEREAS, the senate finds it is desirable for the state to diversify the tourism base and develop its potential for special markets such as health tourism; and

     WHEREAS, many visitors routinely make use of these traditional healing practices, as well as complementary and alternative health therapies, and many visitors travel to New Mexico for the purpose of health and rejuvenation; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is known for its great natural beauty, as a place of rejuvenation and as a place to receive quality conventional, complementary and alternative health care; and

     WHEREAS, New Mexico has a shortage of health care providers in rural locations and promoting health, wellness and fitness tourism may attract practitioners of conventional, complementary and alternative health practitioners to rural New Mexico locations;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the tourism department, regulation and licensing department and economic development department collaborate on the creation of a health tourism task force that will bring together stakeholders on this subject to identify strategies to diversify the state tourism base and develop the potential for health tourism; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force report its findings to the appropriate interim legislative committee by December 2007; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the secretaries of tourism and economic development and the superintendent of regulation and licensing.

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