Southeast Health Promotion

The Southeast Region’s Health Promotion Team provides education and training to individuals and groups in the eight counties (Chaves, Curry, DeBaca, Eddy, Lea, Lincoln, Quay, and Roosevelt) that it serves. They work closely with County Health Councils and community partners to assist in training needs, guidance, and support to improve the health of its citizens. Through assessment, implementation, and evaluation the team will strive to Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues and develop policies and plans that support individual and statewide health efforts. The New Mexico Department of Health’s Health Promotion Program is focused on changes impacting groups of people in communities where they live, work, play and age.

Health Promotion focuses on health at the population level instead of at the individual level. Health Promotion staff have a pulse on the barriers and assets within local communities and are instrumental in providing resources, technical assistance, data, and infrastructure to local coalitions, councils, and committees. Health Promotion works to develop leadership and other skills within communities so that they can develop health priorities and goals. Health Promotion provides evidence-based strategies to communities to address their priority health issues and concerns.

Please see the main Health Promotion page for more information.

Infographics

Health Councils

The Southeast Region Health Promotion team supports eight health councils located in each county. Health council contact information, meeting locations and times are listed below. They are overseen by Health Educators Joann Jaramillo & Debbie Gentry.

Team

The Southeast Region Health Promotion team’s success is dependent upon a strong NMDOH team and a network of reliable, knowledgeable partners. Health Promotion team members are based at either their administrative or local public health offices.

• Laurie Dudek, Southeast Region Health Promotion Program Manager is based at the Southeast Region Administrative Office in Roswell located in Chaves County. Laurie leads the team to facilitate the Public Health Division mission and initiatives, coordinates and implements strategies to address health priorities and indicators, and supports community preventive and population-based services.
  Laurie.Dudek@state.nm.us 505-222-4636
• Joann Palomino, Health Promotion Educator is based at the Southeast Region Administrative Office in Roswell located in Chaves County. Joann provides support for the health councils, partners, plans and implements health equity activities within communities. She leads outreach to high-risk and marginalized communities to better understand needs, facilitates information sharing, and improves health outcomes in Chaves, Lincoln, Eddy, and Lea counties.
  Joann.Palomino@state.nm.us 505-222-4634
• Debbie Gentry, Health Promotion Educator is based at the Portales Health Office located in Roosevelt County. Debbie provides support for the health councils, partners, plans and implements health equity activities within communities. She leads outreach to high-risk and marginalized communities to better understand needs, facilitates information sharing, and improves health outcomes in Roosevelt, Curry, De Baca, and Quay counties.
  Deborah.Gentry@state.nm.us 575-356-4453 x6367
• Laura Wilson, RN Health Promotion Specialist is based at the Ruidoso Health Office located in Lincoln County. Laura provides support for the health councils, partners, plans and implements health equity activities within communities. She leads outreach to high-risk and marginalized communities to better understand needs, facilitates information sharing, and improves health outcomes in Lincoln County.
  Laura.wilson@state.nm.us 575-258-3252
• Sarah Bowman, Overdose Prevention Coordinator based at the Carlsbad Health Office in Eddy County. Sarah assists and monitors her contractors in improving overdose deaths in New Mexico. She provides support to both contracted and non-contracted county community partners on overdose prevention initiatives; including but not limited to substance overdose, substance use disorder, building capacity in Medical Assisted Treatment (MAT), and local overdose response trainings along with working with partners to distribute Narcan / Naloxone. She also assists her stakeholders with links to resources as well as data on the mortality and morbidity rates in the region and across the state.
  Sarah.Bowman@doh.nm.gov 505-660-6460
• Laurie Collins, SE Region Health Equity Coordinator is based in Portales, New Mexico located in Roosevelt County. Laurie works closely with the Southeast Region’s Health Councils, community stakeholders, and health promotion team members focusing on health equity. Working in collaboration with community partners, Laurie helps to identify and remove systemic barriers.
  dandl@yucca.net 575-607-6471
• Melissa Martinez, Southern NUPAC Health Educator based in Las Cruces, New Mexico located in Dona Ana County. Melissa provides support, policy and initiatives in nicotine-related issues throughout all counties in the Southern Region. To learn more about the NUPAC program email
  Melissa.Martinez1@doh.nm.gov 575-528-5121

Southeast Region Health Promotion Partners

The Southeast Region Health Promotion Team has been very fortunate in partnering with internal and external partners to make effective change in the region. The Southwest Region has a variety of health initiatives that are focused upon and are dependent upon the population being served and based on determined needs. The following partners assist the region in meeting these objectives:

• DWI Task Force
• Local Public Heath Offices
• Community Health Councils and Coalitions
• Healthy Kids Healthy Communities
• School Health Advisory Councils and District Administration
• Non-Profit Agencies
• Community Organizations and Churches
• County Extension and Administrative Offices
• County Health Coalitions
• City Administration Offices
• Local Physicians
• Children’s Medical Services
• La Casa Family Health Center
• Eastern New Mexico Food Bank
• New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Office
• Eastern New Mexico University Cooperative Extension Office
• National Park Service
• Department of Transportation
• Women, Infants and Children
• BLM
• UNM College of Population Health
• Federal Qualified Health Centers
• Hospitals
• Emergency Preparedness
• New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils

Southeast Region / Initiatives

Chronic Disease

• Prevent T2/Diabetes, My CD/Managing Your Chronic Disease, Cancer and Thriving support group, and diabetes support groups are established in Roswell to coordinate with the workshops and other activities around chronic disease self-management.

• Trail planning efforts have developed because of the Southeast Region working with several partners including NM Dept. of Transportation, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, city government, county government, and among other partners.

• The Paths to Health New Mexico is an initiative that includes several prevention and self-management programs. These programs are designed to help adults gain the confidence and skills they need to better manage or prevent chronic health conditions or injuries. These programs have been proven to work and improve quality of life.

• Produce to the People in Roosevelt County has been successful for families to have access to fresh and affordable produce. Eastern New Mexico Food Bank in Clovis has aided in providing the produce.

Obesity

• Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (HKHC) coordinators working with the Southeast Regional Health Promotion Program will assist in the collection of Body Mass Index (BMI) data in public elementary schools (Kindergarten and 3rd grade) each fall to better understand statewide prevalence, identify at-risk groups, guide state and local prevention efforts, and inform appropriate resource allocation. HKHC has been active in the counties of Chaves, Curry, Roosevelt, and Lincoln.

• Healthy Kids 5210 Challenge encourages students for 21 days to eat five (5) fruits or vegetables every day, with (2) two hours or less of screen time, (1) one hour of physical activity each day and (0) represents drinking water. All who complete the challenge receive medals.

Substance Abuse

• Professional Service Contracts have been made between various county community partners and NMDOH to handle Drug Overdose Prevention to expand Naloxone availability, safe prescribing, increase access to Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) through Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD), Primary Care Physicians (PCP), and other Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment to reduce overdose death rates throughout the state.

• New Mexico Department of Health Harm Reduction In FY23, the SE Region Harm Reduction Team and public health offices disbursed 619,840 syringes and collected 771,504, there were 159 overdose reversals and Naloxone was disbursed to 1,500 clients. Fentanyl testing strips can now be distributed to individuals enrolled in their programs.

Health Education / Awareness

• Regional Health Council Meeting Annual meeting with the representatives from each county health council and a representative from the New Mexico Alliance of Health Councils. Topics covered the roles of the health council., developing a structured health council that included the use of the Community Toolbox. It also stresses the importance of following standard meeting protocol and the roles of the Executive Committee.

• Access to Care Promotion of Public Health initiatives and services– thru health fairs, public appearances, press releases and collaboration with other partners.

• Maze of Life The Health Promotion Team assists with several Maze of Life Events in their various counties. The MAZE of Life is an interactive life-sized game designed to expose students to a variety of life and social issues that they are currently facing or might face in the future that will increase their knowledge of health, education, and future career opportunities. Students will take part in activities and learn how to make important life choices and decisions. Students will visit booths set up by various organizations and businesses on topics like smoking/vaping hazards, suicide and pregnancy prevention, and the consequences of drinking and driving. Students will also learn about health, career/technical, and other academic programs.

• QPR/Suicide Prevention The Southeast Region Health Promotion Team is QPR certified (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training to learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

• SWAG/Success with Adolescent Goals The program is designed to help young people to set and achieve positive goals for their lives, make positive contributions to their communities and to engage in positive health behaviors, including postponing sexual involvement.

• MyPower It is a non-profit organization that empowers young women to successfully navigate the teen years by making good choices, setting goals, succeeding academically, and avoiding teen pregnancy.