New Mexico
Patrick Allen steps down as Secretary of Health – Gina DeBlassie will serve as interim cabinet secretary – Office of the Governor – Michelle Lujan Grisham
SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced today that Patrick M. Allen, secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health will step down from his position at the end of the day. Allen has served in the administration for approximately two years.
“Pat has been a dedicated public servant, and I’m grateful for his contributions as secretary for the Department of Health. I wish him well in his next endeavor,” said Lujan Grisham.
Gina DeBlassie, the governor’s health policy advisor, will serve as interim cabinet secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health.
DeBlassie brings more than 30 years of healthcare expertise. Throughout her career, she has been a driving force behind legislation to improve healthcare access across New Mexico. Her leadership efforts have been instrumental in establishing the Health Care Authority and the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund.
Prior to joining Gov. Lujan Grisham’s administration, DeBlassie served as chief operating officer for a national All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly provider program. There, she managed multi-state operations spearheading the expansion of programs aimed at bettering the lives of seniors.
DeBlassie holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and has contributed her expertise to multiple non-profit boards.
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. — An ‘imposter nurse’ in Las Cruces is facing 34 charges after nearly causing the death of a patient and illegally giving medications to patients under 18 years old.
A Doña Ana County grand jury indicted Margarita Gonzalez. She is accused of assuming the identities of nurses in Texas to get hired at four nursing facilities in Las Cruces:
- Village at Northrise
- Las Cruces Wellness and Rehabilitation
- Peak Behavioral Health
- Matrix Home Care
The New Mexico Department of Justice’s Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau investigated and discovered instances where Gonzalez illegally gave injections and dispensed prescriptions, including narcotics to eight inpatient residents under 18 years old.
An investigation also found Gonzalez was also about to allegedly give “an incorrect insulin dose” to a patient that they claim could’ve killed the patient if another nurse hadn’t caught the error.
Several facilities fired Gonzalez over patient safety concerns and an observed lack of knowledge.
“Impersonating a healthcare provider is a reckless and selfish crime that subjects those most vulnerable to risk of serious injury or death,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said. “I will not tolerate those who risk the safety of patients or cause danger and unnecessary confusion within the healthcare system. These charges should keep anyone attempting to pose as a healthcare provider on notice: we will find you, and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law to protect New Mexicans.”
Gonzalez’s charges include identity theft, nursing without a license, abuse of a resident, distribution of controlled substances to a minor and fraud totaling over $25,000.
If convicted on all counts, Gonzalez could face up to 100 years in prison.
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