HOUSE MEMORIAL 43

50th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2012

INTRODUCED BY

Joseph Cervantes

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE HIGHER EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO STUDY THE FEASIBILITY OF ESTABLISHING A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT AN INSTITUTION OF HIGHER LEARNING IN NEW MEXICO FOR TRADITIONAL AND ONLINE PUBLIC HEALTH INSTRUCTION THROUGHOUT THE STATE AND REQUESTING THAT IT REPORT ITS FINDINGS TO THE LEGISLATIVE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMITTEE AND TO THE LEGISLATIVE FINANCE COMMITTEE BY NOVEMBER 1, 2012.

     WHEREAS, public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and research for disease and injury prevention; and

     WHEREAS, public health professionals analyze the effects of genetics, personal choice and the environment on health in order to develop programs to protect the health of families and communities; and

     WHEREAS, the field of public health is highly varied and encompasses many academic disciplines such as behavioral science and health education, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, nutrition and maternal and child health, as well as public health policy; and

     WHEREAS, there are forty-seven accredited schools of public health in the United States, with only seven schools of public health located west of the Mississippi river, and New Mexico is not among them; and

     WHEREAS, the accredited public health programs at New Mexico state university and the university of New Mexico are not offered through a school of public health; and

     WHEREAS, according to the council on education for public health, in order for a school of public health to be accredited, it must offer a master's of public health degree in five areas of concentration: biostatistics, epidemiology, health policy and management, social and behavioral health and environmental health. In addition, it must offer a doctoral program in three of these practice areas, and there are specific requirements for the number and qualifications of the faculty; and

     WHEREAS, schools of public health command prestige by attracting talented faculty and top students, create employment opportunities and make a substantial impact on regional public health; and

     WHEREAS, schools of public health have access to federal funds for which other institutions are not eligible, and they are more competitive in efforts to secure outside funding from federal agencies such as the national institutes of health, the centers for disease control and prevention and the department of health and human services; and

     WHEREAS, increased funding translates into increased public health research, development of effective interventions to address public health problems, health disparity reduction, improvement in health indicators and more jobs for New Mexico residents;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the higher education department be requested to study the feasibility of establishing a school of public health at an institution of higher learning in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that, as a part of its feasibility study, the higher education department be requested to consider both traditional and online educational formats and programs through a school of public health at an institution of higher learning to provide students in isolated or rural areas of the state with access to a full spectrum of public health education; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the higher education department be requested to report the findings of its school of public health feasibility study to the legislative health and human services committee and to the legislative finance committee by November 1, 2012; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copies of this memorial be transmitted to the higher education department, the legislative health and human services committee and the legislative finance committee.

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