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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T
SPONSOR Wirth
ORIGINAL DATE
LAST UPDATED
02/01/07
HB 263
SHORT TITLE North Central NM Breast Cancer Center
SB
ANALYST Hanika Ortiz
APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)
Appropriation
Recurring
or Non-Rec
Fund
Affected
FY07
FY08
$600.0
recurring
general fund
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
LFC Files
Responses Received From
Department Of Health (DOH)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
House Bill 263 appropriates $600 thousand from the general fund to the Department of Finance
and Administration for expenditure in fiscal year 2008 for St. Vincent Regional Medical Center
(SVRMC) to create a comprehensive breast cancer center to serve the women of north central
New Mexico, including recruitment of a breast cancer surgeon, establishment of a facility for
breast cancer prevention and a screening system for early intervention.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
The appropriation of $600 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general
fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY08 shall revert to the
general fund. The appropriation proposed in this bill is not included in the executive budget
recommendation for FY08.
SIGNIFICANT ISSUES
DOH reports that from 1994-2003, the age-adjusted incidence of breast cancer in New Mexico
was 116.1 per 100,000 women, compared to rates of 149.1 in Santa Fe County, 131.3 in Los
Alamos County, and 119.6 in Taos County. From 1993-2003 the age-adjusted mortality rate of
pg_0002
House Bill 263 – Page
2
breast cancer in New Mexico was 24.4 per 100,000 women, compared to rates of 27.4 in Santa
Fe County, 27.1 in Mora County, 19.1 in Los Alamos County, and 20.0 in Taos County.
Additionally, the New Mexico Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from
2002 and 2004 showed that fewer than 50% of women ages 40 years and older living in Mora
County reported having had a mammogram in the last 1-2 years.
SVRMC is the major regional medical center for a 19,000 square-mile area covering seven
counties. It is the largest hospital facility north of Albuquerque and south of Pueblo, Colorado.
Since 2003, SVRMC has been a contracted breast cancer screening and diagnostic provider for
the Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection (BCC) Program at DOH. The BCC Program
provides age-appropriate accepted standard-of-care breast and cervical cancer screening and
diagnostic services to underserved women ages 30 years and older, income below 250% of
poverty level, and uninsured or underinsured. The BCC Program also partners with 13 other
contracted providers in north central New Mexico.
OTHER SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES
DOH further reports that in 2004, Hispanics comprised more than 50% of the total population in
four counties (Rio Arriba, Taos, Mora, and San Miguel) in north central New Mexico. A greater
proportion of Hispanic women (16.4%) report never having had a mammogram compared to
white non-Hispanic women (11.8%).
ALTERNATIVES
The creation of a comprehensive breast cancer center might complement existing services.
Currently there is a breast cancer specialty care clinic at the Cancer Institute of New Mexico
located in Santa Fe. The Institute’s services include screening, diagnosis, and treatment of breast
cancer by a team of specialists.
CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP
SB 382 relates to:
• HB 263, which would appropriate $600,000 to the Department of Finance and Administration
for expenditure in FY 2008 for St. Vincent Regional Medical Center (SVRMC) for the creation
of a comprehensive breast cancer center to serve the women of north central New Mexico.
• SB 357, which would appropriate $250,000 from the general fund to DOH to be spent in FY08
through FY10 to provide a cancer patient navigation program.
WHAT WILL BE THE CONSEQUENCES OF NOT ENACTING THIS BILL
No additional State funding will be available to the Department of Finance and Administration
for expenditure in fiscal year 2008 for St. Vincent Regional Medical Center (SVRMC) to create
a comprehensive breast cancer center to serve the women of north central New Mexico.
AHO/mt