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Support for the Task Force on Work Life Balance

Senate Bill 272 appropriates $75,000 to UNM BBER to complete the work of the Task Force on Work Life Balance.

Read and track the bill here.

Senate Bill 272 appropriates $75,000 from the GENERAL FUND to the Board of Regents of the University of New Mexico for the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) to cover expenses related to completing the work of the Task Force on Work-Life Balance pursuant to House Memorial 1 of the First Session of the Fiftieth Legislature, including outreach to small business owners.

 

YEAR 1 – With the help of Giovanna Rossi, who acted as facilitator, BBER convened the task force with the involvement of State various agencies and with representation from other organizations as laid out in the legislation.  The Task Force met as a full task force 5 times in each case for 2-hour sessions. As required, in early October, the Task Force made a preliminary report of finding to the Legislative Health and Human Services Committee.  That report consisted of a power point presentation and two detailed matrices summarizing research regarding the impacts of family friendly policies.

 

YEAR 2 – The agenda for the second year of this task force is ambitious in its goals both to develop and awards program and to develop a set of policy recommendations.  To provide a sound basis for policy recommendations, the Task Force plans to reach out to the business community, for example, by recruiting business people to serve on the task force, by holding meetings in Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, and Las Cruces, where we can meet with local Chambers of Commerce, and by conducting focus groups with large and small businesses in communities around the state.  The Task Force also intends to undertake a careful review of the family friendly policies that have been implemented in other states and in other countries, including an analysis of the costs and benefits of these policies as well as their suitability to the conditions in New Mexico.

 

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Women’s Health Congress 2012

March 16-18, 2012

Washington, DC

Widespread Praise for the Annual Congress on Women’s Health

“The Women’s Health Congress is, year after year, the most exciting and innovative update on the whole gamut of women’s health issues I know. And it’s a tremendous value for CME dollars.”
John Partridge, MD, Richmond, VA

“I can honestly say that it was the best medical conference I have ever attended. The quality of the talks was consistently excellent, and the topics were great and on target. Even though there were various types of providers present, there was something to learn from each presentation for NP’s, docs, primary care, and OB’s.”
Barbara Gottlieb, MD, MPH, Harvard

“Excellent program…I will definitely spread the word to my colleagues.”
Yolanda Hacker, M.D., Atlanta

“The lectures were topical and the discussions were spirited. Befriending some wonderfully dynamic women was an added bonus.”
Cathy Sila, M.D., Cleveland Clinic Foundation

“It was a pleasure to hear cutting-edge information presented by high-powered speakers in such a friendly environment.”
Ann Morrison, R.N., Johns Hopkins

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Founding Member of Our Bodies, Our Selves To Celebrate 40th Anniversary in Albuquerque

When: November 30, 2011 7:00-8:30pm
Where: Dane Smith Hall Room 125, University of New Mexico Campus
Contact: Giovanna Rossi, 505-620-6030 or Rebecca Vanucci, 215-820-3673

Judy Norsigian, founder and Executive Director of Our Bodies, Ourselves, will talk about the legacy of women’s health. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the first edition of Our Bodies, Ourselves, Judy Norsigian will discuss the new edition of the book as well as the status of women’s health today.

Event is sponsored by:
· Gender Impacts Policy, a project of the Center of SW Culture

· Women Studies Department at the University of New Mexico

· Women’s Resource Center at the University of New Mexico

This event is FREE and open to the public.
Light refreshments will be served.
Parking on the University of New Mexico campus is free after 6PM and parking is available near Dane Smith Hall off of Las Lomas Blvd.

Quick Facts:
· There have been over 4 million copies of Our Bodies, Ourselves sold all over the world since the first publication.

· The book covers topics ranging from safer sex, sexual health, gender identity, birth control, activism, the health care system, as well as many more.

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Health and Human Rights Lecture

UNM Public Health Program
Jonathan Mann Health and Human Rights Lecture

“Moving from Science to Policy and Practice: Building Healthier
Communities based on Human Rights”

Brian Smedley, PhD
Vice President and Director of the Health Policy Institute of the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, Washington, DC.

Date: Thursday, December 1, 2011
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Location: National Hispanic Cultural Center (Bank of America Auditorium)
1701 4th Street SW

Seating is limited. Please plan to arrive early.

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Women’s Health Today – December Promo

Tune in to Women’s Health Today hosted by Giovanna Rossi on December 23 at 8am on KUNM 89.9fm or online at kunm.org. The show will feature Dr. Saralyn Mark, sex and gender based health expert and NASA medical consultant, who will discuss her new book “Stellar Medicine: A Journey Through Women’s Health”. Also on the show: important information you may not know about the impact of health care reform on women in New Mexico.
Listen to the promo here.

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Film Screening: The Business of Being Born

The Feminist Research Institute and the Women’s Resource Center invite you:

Film Screening: The Business of Being Born
Followed by a panel discussion with healthcare professionals
Tuesday, November 8th, 6:30-9:00 pm
Anthropology room 163

Speakers:
Joel Teicher, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Obstetrics Gynecology atUNM
Julie Gorwoda, CNM MSN, Director of Nurse-Midwifery Education at UNM
Kelly Camden, LM on Albuquerque Birth Network Board of Directors
Marie Meakin, RN, BSN, L&D Nurse, Birthing from Within Instructor
Karen Brown, Doula and Leader of Birth Talk, Los Alamos
Connie Koshewa, LM, CPM, MPH

The Business of Being Born:
Filmmaker Abby Epstein and actress Ricki Lake collaborate to explore how
childbirth is treated in America. Is birth a natural, safe process,
or a medical phenomenon with the potential to go seriously wrong? Many
current points of view are explored in this powerful documentary.

The free film screening will be followed by a panel discussion of six local
childbirth professionals. They will discuss their perspectives, relate the
film to the local community, and answer questions from the audience.

Come join us on Tuesday, November 8th at 6:30 p.m. in the Anthropology
Building room 163. See attached flier for more details. For further
information, please email femresin@unm.edu. This event is presented by the
Feminist Research Institute and The Women’s Resource Center.

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Albuquerque Journal Letter to the Editor

Printed in Talk of the Town October 11, 2011

Finally, Health Care That Works For All

THE NEW health care law is already having a positive effect on health care costs in New Mexico. Part of why premium increases are slowing is because of the protections the law affords.

The health law provides states with funding to help us better evaluate huge spikes in insurance premiums. These dollars provide states with the capacity to bring greater transparency to the insurance market by reviewing rate increases, which ultimately helps to drive down premiums and hold insurance companies accountable.

Ever-rising premiums have hampered women’s ability to afford health insurance. Not only does this new law help to reduce insurance premiums, but it protects women from discriminatory health insurance practices, and makes coverage more secure by ensuring that working families cannot be denied care due to a pre-existing condition.

The law also provides basic preventative health care and women’s health services with no-copy, which reduces the amount of out-of-pocket costs women would have had to spend on needed care. The law not only helps women and families in New Mexico, but it makes good economic sense.

According to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, the health care law will reduce the federal deficit by $143 billion in the first 10 years and by more than $1 trillion in the second 10 years.

GIOVANNA ROSSI PRESSLEY

Albuquerque