The Health: Body, Mind & Spirit Town Hall momentum continues!

Over 700 people participated in activities around New Mexico First’s 2020 Health Town Hall, including community conversations, attendance at the town hall, and continued implementation work. Together, New Mexicans identified 18 recommendations and multiple strategies for systems and policy change to strengthen health, body, mind and spirit.

In May 2021, New Mexico First convened the Health Mini-Forum Series to prioritize the Town Hall recommendations, with a focus on policy and systems change efforts, keeping in mind the upcoming 2022 legislative appropriations session.

Four, two-hour mini-forums took place:

  • May 19, 3-5 pm: Strengthening Cultural & Linguistic Assets of New Mexico’s Health Workforce
  • May 20, 3-5 pm: Strengthening Local Food Systems and Fighting Hunger
  • May 26, 3-5 pm: Health Access and Quality Care
  • May 27, 3-5 pm: Building Resilience to Stress and Trauma

The Health Mini-Forum Report can be found here.

  1. Welcome/Roadmap
  2. Review Recommendations & Strategies
  3. Roundtable Discussion
  4. Q & A
  5. Breakout Discussions/Prioritizations
  6. Report Out/Wrap-up/Next Steps
  7. Adjourn

Download the agenda here

  • Representative Deborah Armstrong
  • Leigh Caswell, Presbyterian Health Services
  • Janette Espinoza, NM Department of Health
  • Representative Joanne Ferrary
  • Jerry Harrison, NM Health Resources
  • Sherry Hooper, The Food Depot
  • Pam Roy, Farm to Table, NM Food & Policy Council
  • Emily Wildau, New Mexico Voices for Children
  • Chili Yazzi, Shiprock Traditional Farmers Cooperative

The mini-forums are part of the continued implementation work of the 2020 Health: Body, Mind & Spirit Town Hall. To learn about the consensus-based recommendations and strategies and how they came about, please visit the Health Town Hall page! You’ll find backgrounders on each of 4 topic areas, final reports and more.

To learn more about the town hall recommendations, please explore the videos below.

New Mexico First supported 80+ bills during the 2021 legislative session, many of which were aligned with Town Hall recommendations and strategies.

Community members at the mini-forums will be asked to help prioritize recommendations and strategies that could be moved forward in the upcoming 2022 appropriation session, which will be budget-focused. This Legislative Roundup lists the bills we supported and their final status.

Legislation in the health and food, hunger and agriculture sections contain bills that aligned with town hall recommendations and strategies. Also, cross-cutting legislation such as broadband, economic development and education aligned with the recommendations and strategies as well. Join us to help identify what could be advanced in the 2022 session!

Slide handouts for each mini-forum

Legislative Roundup

Agenda

Health: Body, Mind & Spirit Town Hall Reports can be found here

Videos below!

Please email Sharon Berman at sharon@nmfirst.org or call 505-225-2140 x 4 to leave a voicemail.

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