New Mexico
New Mexico leaders visit Miami to learn from behavioral health approach
What could Albuquerque learn from Miami? A group of New Mexico leaders is heading to Miami this week to see a first-of-its-kind facility devoted to behavioral health.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — What could Albuquerque learn from Miami? A group of New Mexico leaders is heading to Miami this week to see a first-of-its-kind facility devoted to behavioral health.
This is the third group from New Mexico to make this trip, hoping to bring back some substantial ideas. This week’s trip holds even more weight as leaders consider the governor’s agenda for the upcoming special session.
The governor’s agenda for the special session includes five main points, and some leaders say the most complicated part of it involves mental competency. Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham wants lawmakers to rework the laws to essentially make it easier for the courts to mandate mental health treatment for certain suspects.
Some lawmakers are already looking at the concerns of implementing the legislation, if it passes. That’s where the Miami trips come in.
The group of 20 heading to Miami this week includes one Albuquerque lawmaker and local leadership from much of southern New Mexico. The facility in Miami serves people with serious mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders who cycle through the criminal justice system.
The idea is to learn how to approach building behavioral health facilities, staffing, and sustainability – from an already successful model.
“Looking at the whole picture, it’s just a win for everyone to move in this direction,” Republican Rep. Jenifer Jones said. “It’s only a piece of what we need in mental health and, you know, behavioral health infrastructure here in New Mexico, but it’s a big piece that affects everyone.”
Jones said being successful will come down to better communication and using the state’s resources more effectively.
The trip to Miami is scheduled for later this week ahead of the special session on July 18.
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham shared the following statement on the issue:
“Republicans contend that making New Mexico a safer place during the special session under my proposals is ‘undoable’––an assertion I flatly reject. It’s only ‘undoable’ if lawmakers refuse to roll up their sleeves and work with me to get it done.
State lawmakers of both parties must ask themselves if they are comfortable with more crime and more homelessness because business owners and rank-and-file New Mexicans are fed up. We can make our state safer but it’s going to require some hard work, a can-do attitude, and a collaborative approach. I call on lawmakers to help me pass my common-sense public safety reform agenda for New Mexicans during the special session.”
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Police arrested two young men on murder charges after a deadly shooting outside the Frontier Restaurant near the University of New Mexico.
Police said 19-year-old Junior Lewis and 20-year-old Evan Rogers are in custody and both face murder charges.
Police said both men are set to face a judge Saturday.
Investigators said they found both suspects inside Rogers’ dorm room at UNM.
The shooting happened in the early morning hours Thursday just south of Central between Cornell and Stanford.
Police said the man who was shot died at the scene.
Leapfrog released its 2026 spring hospital safety grades.
Grades are assigned based on overall performance, including patient safety.
The Leapfrog Group’s goal is to publicly report patient safety and quality information for the benefit of consumers, purchasers, and referring physicians as they make decisions about where to seek care and where to direct patients,” the company stated on its website.
Here’s how your local hospitals performed.
MountainView Regional Medical Center – A
Leapfrog gave MountainView an “A.”
“Being the only hospital in Doña Ana County to earn an ‘A’ from The Leapfrog Group speaks to the high standards our team sets – and meets – every day,” said MountainView CEO Patrick Shannon. “This achievement reflects the dedication of our physicians, nurses, and employees to deliver the safest care possible for our community.”
“An ‘A’ Grade is a strong sign that MountainView is deeply committed to protecting patients from harm,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “We commend the leadership, Board, clinicians, staff and volunteers for the role each played in earning this distinction.”
The hospital performed better than average in several areas including low infection rates, addressing safety problems, and ICU care. The hospital received below average performances ratings in surgical site infections post colon surgery, communication about medicine and discharge, communication with doctors and nurses and nursing and bedside care for patients.
Memorial Medical Center – B
Memorial Medical Center received a “B” grade from Leapfrog.
The hospital performed well in effective leadership, reduction and prevention of infections and addressing safety problems.
The hospital received below average ratings for kidney injury after surgery, serious breathing problems, harmful events, communication about medicine and discharge, and communication with doctors and nurses.
Not rated by Leapfrog were Three Crosses Regional Hospital.
Nearby top rated hospitals
Leapfrog gave an A to William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center in El Paso. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso received a B.
How did other New Mexico hospitals perform?
A recipients were:
- CHRISTUS Southern New Mexico in Alamogordo
B recipients were:
- Lovelace Women’s Hospital in Albuquerque
C recipients were:
- Carlsbad Medical Center in Carlsbad
- CHRISTUS St. Vincent in Santa FE
- Eastern New Mexico Medical Center in Roswell
- Lovelace Medical Center-Downtown in Albuquerque
- Lovelace Regional Hospital in Roswell
- Lovelace Westside Hospital in Albuquerque
- University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque
D recipients were:
- San Juan Regional Medical Center in Farmington
- UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center in Rio Rancho
Explore the full survey results at https://www.hospitalsafetygrade.org/.
Jessica Onsurez is editor of the Las Cruces Sun-News. Reach her by email at jonsurez@usatodayco.com.
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) — The Social Security Office released the most popular baby names for 2025 on Thursday. And here in New Mexico, we saw some familiar names top the charts once again.
Coming in at No. 1 for girls is Mia, and as for the boys, Noah ranks No. 1. That’s no change from 2024 when Mia and Noah also led the pack, both coming in at No 1. For 2025, there were a total of 66 babies named Mia and 115 babies named Noah, while in 2024, there were 81 Mias and 105 Noahs.
What do the names mean? Online sources list a few different interpretations for Mia, but one common association is with the Italian word “mia,” which means “mine.” As for Noah, the name is most commonly associated with the prominent bible figure. It’s thought to mean “rest,” or “comfort.”
Here’s a look at some of the other top baby names in New Mexico for 2025.
- Girls:
- Olivia (65 total)
- Sophia (65 total)
- Sofia (60 total)
- Camila (59 total)
- Eliana (57 total)
- Isabella (56 total)
- Amelia (53 total)
- Aria (45 total)
- Aurora (45 total)
- Boys:
- Liam (109 total)
- Mateo (99 total)
- Elijah (76 total)
- Santiago (70 total)
- Sebastian (69 total)
- Ezra (67 total)
- Elias (66 total)
- Ezekiel (66 total)
- Levi (69 total)
Nationally, Olivia and Liam are the most popular baby names, and have been for the past seven years, according to the Social Security Administration. As for the fastest-rising names, Klarity jumped nearly 1,400 spots on the girls’ list, and Kasai jumped 1,108 for boy names.
Other names rising in popularity for boys include Atlas, Adriel, Emiliano, Arthur, and Archer. On the girls’ list, Ailany, Sienna, Amara, and Georgia are becoming more popular.
You can find the full list by state online.
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