Level 1: Mentoring State with Funding from 2002-2007
Lead Agency
New Mexico Department of Health
Public Health Division
1190 St. Francis Drive, Suite N1050
Santa Fe, NM 87502-6110
http://www.health.state.nm.us/dhp/odhhome.htm
Joann V. Salazar, MSW, Project Director, Chief, Health Systems Bureau
Phone: (505) 827-0007
joann.salazar@doh.state.nm.us
Susan O. Gray, Program Manager
Phone: (505) 827-2976 Fax: (505) 827-1606
susan.gray@doh.state.nm.us
Collaborating Agencies
Center for Development and Disability, University of New Mexico (UNM)
Anthony G. Cahill, PhD, Sr. Scientist, Disability and Health Policy Resources Unit
(505) 272-2990
acahill@salud.unm.edu
New Mexico Governor’s Commission on Disability
New Mexico State Independent Living Council (SILC)
Emergency Preparedness Unit, New Mexico Department of Health (DOH)
Survey Unit, New Mexico Department of Health (DOH) Surveillance and Response Division
Project Goal
The NM Project seeks to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities in New Mexico by implementing health promotion interventions, analyzing and disseminating disability for program planning and policy development and creating programs that increase communication among various constituencies of the disability community.
Major Program Activities
- The New Mexico project is implementing both Living Well with a Disability and the Take Charge Challenge, a program promoting physical activity for people with and disabilities, with various populations across the state.
- The New Mexico Project is an organizing sponsor of the Southwest Conference on Disability, now in its eighth year. The philosophy of the Conference is that we focus too often on what divides us. At the annual Southwest Conferences on Disability, we explore what we have in common and how we can create a mutual agenda that goes beyond a particular perspective, group or disability. At the conferences, people with disabilities; researchers; family members; service providers; advocates; staff of federal, state and local government agencies and students from New Mexico, the Southwest and the nation come together to learn from each other, share ideas and the latest research findings and discuss and debate current policies and issues concerning disability.
- The New Mexico project is involved with numerous partners in New Mexico and nationally to create training programs for first responders and receivers that will increase their awareness of the needs and priorities of people with disabilities in an emergency. This includes production of Tip Sheets for First Responders.
- During the 2005 grant year, the New Mexico project will conduct a needs assessment designed to identify barriers to access for people with disabilities to health care facilities and create technical assistance programs, information resources and other programs for health care facilities.
Evaluation and Research
Coordinate activities of the National Consortium to Evaluate Health Promotion Interventions, including the evaluations of Living Well with a Disability and Take Charge Challenge interventions
Surveillance
Analysis completed of 1998-2001 BRFSS, selecting notable findings to use in writing policy briefings papers.
Participating collaboratively with the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council to estimate the incidence and prevalence of disability by state agencies’ administrative datasets.
Completing analysis of a revised BRFSS disability module survey conducted in 2003.
Materials and Publications
Obtain any of the listed resources on the website:http://www.health.state.nm.us/dhp/DHPResources.htm.
New Mexico State Plan for Promoting the Health of People with Disabilities published by the state Disability and Health Advisory Council.
The Wellness News Newsletter (Current issue is available in hardcopy. Past issues are available on website.)
Common Courtesies when Interacting with People with Disabilities (PDF file)
Women with Disabilities Health and Wellness Fact Sheet for Health Care Providers (PDF file)
Technical Assistance
- Health promotion workshops: Living Well with a Disability, Take Charge Challenge
- Smoking cessation training
- Emergency Preparedness
- Conference Planning and Logistics
- Program visibility
- Proposal writing