In person (members and guests only); Zoom (members and general public)        

TOPIC:      Access to Healthcare in New Mexico   

SPEAKER:      Dr. Joanne Turnbull, PhD, Chair, Healthcare Committee, League of Women Voter of Southern New Mexico, and Steering Committee for Patients Primero

 

New Mexico’s shortage of health care providers is a full-blown crisis. Lack of physicians and other healthcare providers result in untreated conditions and communities without adequate resources. The situation is especially dire in rural areas where hospitals and clinics are threatened with closure.

This LWVCNM Educational presentation describes the crisis, the key factors that are driving it, statewide advocacy efforts that led to the passage of House Bill 99 (Medical Malpractice Changes) in January 2026, and the League’s new statewide study, The Impact of Medical Malpractice on Access to Care. Although HB99 limited punitive damages, healthcare providers indicate that this addresses only a fraction of the challenges facing NM physicians.

During the April 2026 LWVNM Council, the LWVSNM Healthcare Access Study was adopted as a statewide study, and study chair Joanne Turnbull is actively recruiting committee members from the three other local leagues. LWVCNM invited JoAnne to offer a discussion of the challenges facing New Mexicans seeking healthcare and obstacles to healthcare providers in New Mexico.

Joanne Turnbull earned a PhD in Social Work & Psychology from the University of Michigan and an MFA from the University of Southern Maine in Creative Writing. She has practiced as a psychotherapist and taught marital and family therapy and advanced clinical practice in the Department of Psychiatry at Duke, the University of North Carolina, Columbia University and the University of Michigan Schools of Social Work. She also held senior administrative positions at Duke, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and the University of Texas Medical Center, and is Executive Director Emerita of the National Patient Safety Foundation. In addition to numerous academic articles, she has published fiction and an award-winning essay. She was awarded a Healthier Communities Fellowship by the American Hospital Association and co-authored To Do No Harm: Ensuring a Culture of Safety in Health Care. She chairs the Healthcare Committee for the League of Women Voters of Southern New Mexico and serves on the Steering Committee for Patients Primero.

Zoom Invitation

LWVCNM is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Access to Healthcare in New Mexico
Time: Jul 9, 2026 12:00 PM Mountain Time (US and Canada)
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