Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Department of Health budget hearing highlights veterans‑home certification issues and facility operating requests
Summary
Lawmakers and the new DOH secretary‑designate discussed facility operating needs, the request for special appropriations for state hospitals, and the San Miguel substance‑use facility; LFC and executive recommendations were closely aligned and committee adopted the LFC recommendation.
At a hearing of the Appropriations & Finance Committee, Department of Health (DOH) officials and analysts outlined a FY26 budget with small differences between the Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) and the executive proposal while members pressed for details about state‑run facility operations and the status of the new veterans’ homes.
The DOH budget approach matters for multiple state facilities — state psychiatric hospitals, a network of long‑term care facilities and a recent set of small veterans’ homes — where operating and staffing costs drive material shares of the agency’s budget.
Kelly Clint, LFC staff, said the two recommendations differ modestly in facility operations and targeted personnel funding; the net gap between the LFC and executive totals for DOH was under 1 percent. LFC emphasized “keeping doors open” operational funding and suggested flexible allocations across state facilities, while the executive included line‑specific increases for two hospitals, and an operating expansion request tied to a San Miguel County substance‑use treatment facility.
Gina de Blasio, DOH secretary‑designate, described state facility census and certification work and asked for several targeted supplementals. She described growing census at the New Mexico State Veterans Home and said the state had increased residents from about 57 to 109 since opening the new small homes. De Blasio said the agency seeks a supplemental to offset shortfalls at the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute and at the Los Lunas Community Care Program and requested additional maintenance funding for facility operations.
Several legislators sought detail about the veterans’ homes and federal reimbursement. Committee members asked whether the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs had reviewed the new homes and whether federal reimbursement for construction would be forthcoming. De Blasio and LFC staff said the state had submitted the facility for VA survey and that reviews had identified some corrective items; she said the agency was working on plan‑of‑correction items and that federal reimbursement remains uncertain.
On public health programming, DOH sought one‑time funding for senior farmers market vouchers in FY26 and a request to purchase vaccines for public health offices. LFC staff noted the department had used federal grants and one‑time funding to stand up several programs since 2020, and LFC asked for evidence of ongoing performance to support larger recurring allocations.
After discussion, the committee adopted the Legislative Finance Committee recommendation for the Department of Health budget. Vice Chair Dixon moved adoption, Representative Garrett seconded, and no opposition was recorded. The adoption leaves a small set of policy and supplemental differences to be resolved as the budget process continues.
What happens next: Committee staff asked DOH and LFC analysts to supply facility‑level performance data and status updates on veterans‑home certification and the San Miguel facility operator plan so the committee can decide on supplementals and any bar language requested for federal fund transfers.
