Guv signs capital spending bill, which includes $10 million pledge for reproductive clinic in Las Cruces

The day before the bill-signing deadline, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed the capital spending bill, which includes a pledge of $10 million to build a full-spectrum reproductive health clinic in Las Cruces. .

HB 505 contains $1.2 billion in projects to be built across the state.

Among these is Lujan Grisham’s $10 million commitment to build a full-spectrum reproductive healthcare clinic in Las Cruces. Lujan Grisham announced the engagement last summer, months after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade when he spoke out against a Mississippi abortion clinic that offered abortions up to 16 weeks.

Several organizations have teamed up to start discussions about the future clinic. The Las Cruces-based nonprofit policy advocacy organization Bold Futures is one of the prominent organizations working on the project.

But the new clinic is, at least, a few years away from becoming a reality, said Bold Futures chief executive Charlene Bencomo. NM Policy Report recently.

Related: A new full-spectrum reproductive healthcare clinic in Las Cruces is still in the planning stages

Bencomo said even the placement of plants in the reception desk is under consideration. A 13-member advisory board discusses the project.

Bencomo said the goal is to make sure the clinic feels inclusive for all individuals. She said some of the additional goals the partners are discussing are the ability for the clinic to become a training center and, also, to provide care regardless of insurance status.

Being insecure or underinsured impacts health outcomes and is a problem disproportionately faced by groups who also face systemic racism or discrimination.

For example, the LGBTQ community suffers from poorer health outcomes than straight and cisgender people. The gap is attributed to lower rates of health insurance coverage, high rates of stress from systemic discrimination and harassment, and a lack of cultural competence in the health care system, according to the policy institute. non-partisan, the Center for American Progress.

According to Public Health Law Network, Black women are three to four times more likely to die in pregnancy and five times more likely to die from pregnancy-related cardiomyopathy and blood pressure disorders than white women and are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than white women. According to National Library of Medicine, Hispanic women are less likely to have regular mammograms and Pap tests. Native Americans have a life expectancy 5.5 years less than all other American races, according to Indian health services.

Bencomo said whether the new clinic would only provide medical abortions or also include surgical abortion is still under discussion.
During debate on the bill in the House, some Republicans attempted to remove Lujan Grisham’s $10 million from the bill through an amendment, which failed. Lots of house Republicans said they couldn’t vote for the capital spending bill because of the pledge. Lente said the money represents 0.8% of the overall amount allocated to projects in the state.

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