Victory for Urban Indian Healthcare!!!
On March 3 rd, 2008 Governor Bill Richardson Signed our bill HB236, “Off-Reservation Native American Healthcare Commission”. Governor Richardson held a press conference with a variety of organizations that pushed hard for this bill!
“We’re excited to know that our healthcare bill was the only one that made it through this legislative session—and that it was the right bill!” said Sonny Weahkee, SAGE Council Director.
We’d like to express our gratitude to Rep. Mimi Stewart, who sponsored HB 236 despite the fact that the 30-day legislative session was rife with controversy over health care reform. However, both Democrats and Republicans in both houses unanimously supported our health care bill. Hooray for bi-partisan sanity!
The passage of HB 236 creates a Health Commission that will;
- Inventory non-emergency health care resources that are available to the urban Indian community,
- Do cross-jurisdictional budget analysis,
- Recommend ways to eliminate duplication of services; and
- Identify and secure alternative resources to expand and strengthen our healthcare delivery system.
The Commission will have a tremendous amount of work to accomplish in order to make positive changes that could impact thousands of lives. This is a historic victory for Native Americans living in Bernalillo County. SAGE Council would like to thank all those involved who worked hard ensure that the needs of off-reservation tribal members are met. Good work!
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