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

SPONSOR Begaye

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/27/08

HB 411

SHORT TITLE Culturally Sensitive Substance Abuse Program

SB

ANALYST Weber

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$150.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Human Services Department (HSD)

Indian Affairs Department (IAD)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 411 appropriates $150 thousand from the general fund to the Indian Affairs

Department for a culturally competent substance abuse program for the Ramah Chapter of the

Navajo Nation.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The appropriation of $150 thousand contained in this bill is a recurring expense to the general

fund. Any unexpended or unencumbered balance remaining at the end of FY09 shall revert to

the general fund.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

The Indian Affairs Department notes:

Issues related to cultural differences in the context of health care are especially salient for the

Indian population in New Mexico. According to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights:

House Bill 411 – Page

2

For many Native Americans, there is a concern that health care providers’ cultural

insensitivity and the lack of acceptance of traditional healing practices and traditional

medicine may create barriers to receiving care. Accordingly, it is important that

‘culturally competent’ health services be available to Native Americans. If health

services are not offered to the targeted patient population in a culturally and linguistically

appropriate manner, treatment will remain ineffective and any effort to eliminate racial

and ethnic health care disparities will fall short.

Native Americans suffer disproportionately from alcohol and substance abuse. According to the

United States Department of Health and Human Services, for the period between 2002-2005,

Native Americans were more likely than members of other ethnic groups to have experienced

alcohol or illicit drug use disorders, meaning dependence or abuse. During that same period,

10.7% of Indians were found to have an alcohol use disorder, compared to 7.6% among other

racial groups, while 5% of Indians were found to have an illicit drug use disorder, compared to

2.9% in the population overall.

According to 2000 Census estimates, approximately 74.72% of McKinley County’s 74,798

residents are Native American. The Ramah Chapter is located within McKinley County New

Mexico. “Between 1975 and 1985, McKinley County experienced chronic alcoholism at

nineteen times the national average, alcohol-related traffic accidents at seven times the national

average, and deaths from all alcohol-related causes at four times the national average." It is

thought that McKinley County's alcohol problem “is a problem endemic to Indian Country.

According to 2002 Indian Health Service statistics, American Indians and Alaska Natives die

from alcoholism at nearly eight times the rate of Americans generally.

There are many recognized traditional healing approaches from various ethnicities in New

Mexico. Those include Native American traditional healers, Hispanic curanderos, the Sikh

communities, and other groups. Many Native American traditional healing practices have been

shown to be effective means of addressing substance abuse and related disorders in New Mexico,

utilizing interventions such as talking circles, tribal/sheriff/Governor/marriage sponsors, sweat

lodge peacemakers, prayer meetings, family group conferencing, and traditional healing

ceremonies. For example, the Na'Nizhoozhi Center, Inc. was established in 1992 to address the

problem of intoxication in McKinley County and the City of Gallup, NM. The program, at the

Na'Nizhoozhi Center, has demonstrated positive outcomes in addressing the substance abuse

needs of individuals seeking substance abuse treatment with the integrated use of traditional

healing techniques. The federally funded Access to Recovery grant, currently managed by the

Behavioral Health Services Division, funds traditional healing through substance abuse recovery

support services and has shown positive outcomes with this approach.

MW/bb