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

SPONSOR Stewart

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

03/06/07

HB

SHORT TITLE

HPV SCREENING & ADVISORY PANEL

SB SJM 50

ANALYST Duarte

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY07

FY08

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 50 requests the support of initiatives by the Department of Health for

improvements in Human Papillomavirus screening. It also supports the formation of an HPV

advisory panel in order to better maintain cervical precancers. The memorial supports the efforts

by the DOH in improving the screening and maintenance of HPV screening. Senate Joint

Memorial 50 also recognizes the newly available HPV vaccine and would like to vaccinate all

young women between the ages of nine and fourteen.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The Department of Health will absorb any costs with there current funding.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

According to Senate Joint Memorial 50 cervical cancer affects two-thirds of women in New

Mexico under the age of fifty-five. Cervical cancer is preventable and curable through early

detection and pre-cancer screening, unlike many other cancers. Current prevention programs

Senate Joint Memorial 50 – Page

2

within New Mexico have resulted in a decrease in the incidence of cervical cancer in the women

of New Mexico. Currently, Hispanics and Native Americans have a higher mortality rate in

comparison to non-Hispanic white women. This is due in part to several issues surrounding lack

of screening, access to healthcare, immigrant status, and other social and financial disparities.

Twenty high-risk genital human papillomaviruses have been identified as the cause of nearly all

cervical precancers. Forty percent of women between the ages of eighteen and forty have tested

positive for human papillomavirus. Recently a vaccine has become available that protects

women from three types of cancer causing human papillomavirus, although there are several

other types that are not covered by the vaccine. The vaccine would be especially affective for

young women between the ages of nine and fourteen, who may be sexually naïve. Making this

vaccine available to all women in New Mexico despite financial and social disparities would

help decrease the occurrence of cervical cancer in women. Although the vaccine offers

protection, it cannot be used in lieu of human papillomavirus testing and pre-cancer screening.

Senate Joint Memorial 50 supports the ongoing efforts of the Department of Health in

maintaining the surveillance of cervical precancers and would also support collaboration

between statewide immunization systems and human papillomavirus programs. This memorial

supports the creation of an advisory panel consisting of experts in the fields of human

papillomavirus testing and screening, school-based health representatives, representatives of

immunization programs, healthcare advocacy groups, the New Mexico breast and cervical cancer

early detection program, and the public health division, within the Department of Health.

Collaboration between the New Mexico health policy commission and the human papillomavirus

is also supported within this memorial. Finally, this memorial would like a research agenda to be

created by the advisory panel that would identify and study the disparities and a more effective

delivery of primary and secondary cervical cancer interventions, that would in turn improve the

health of the women in New Mexico.

CD/nt