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(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Revenue Decreases)

Duplicates/Conflicts with/Companion to/Relates to

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Department of Health (DOH)

New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs (OIA)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Bill 518 appropriates $150,000 from the general fund to the New Mexico Office of Indian Affairs for contracting to provide services for people with spinal cord injuries in northwestern New Mexico.

Significant Issues

The most current data regarding spinal cord injury in New Mexico is derived from the State Trauma Registry's Annual Trauma Systems Report. The report indicates that there were 138 spinal cord injuries in New Mexico in 1996. The three leading causes of spinal cord injury were motor vehicle accidents (51%), falls (14%), and assaults (12%). More than 70% of spinal cord injuries were to people under age 45, and in 30 cases the injury was fatal.

Most of the victims of spinal cord injuries are young and may have severe lifelong disabilities that may require extensive support services throughout their lifetime. According to the DOH, community-based long term services such as personal care, residential and day services are available through two medicaid waivers. Most people with spinal cord injury either do not qualify for these waivers or funding is limited. There is a critical shortage of housing and major need of funding for individuals who use wheelchairs, can no longer speak or see, or are in a coma.

Senate Bill 518 does not specify the type of services (home-care, physical therapy, housing, equipment, etc.) to be provided, the communities to be served, or the number of people that may be affected with spinal cord injuries in northwestern New Mexico. The Department of Health recognizes that there are special and unique problems in the effective delivery of care to Native Americans with spinal cord injury, and believes these needs can be most effectively addressed through partnerships with New Mexico Native American governments, Native American health care providers, Indian Health Services and New Mexican Native Americans living with spinal cord injury.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

The bill requires the services intended by the bill to be contracted. The Office of Indian Affairs would have to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to contract the services.

DUPLICATION, CONFLICT, COMPANIONSHIP OR RELATIONSHIP

Senate Bill 266 would appropriate funds for services for people who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

POSSIBLE QUESTIONS

• •Would an increased appropriation to the Disabled and Elderly Waiver match, which is nearly 27 cents on a dollar match with the federal government for medicaid services, provide services to many more people with spinal cord injury?



• •Would a separate allocation to the Office of Indian Affairs for spinal cord injury services unnecessarily complicate the spinal cord injury services system in New Mexico?

LMK/njw