Searchlight New Mexico

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Memorial Medical Center has been repeatedly accused of denying cancer care to low-income patients. A patient advocate is...
06/02/2026

Memorial Medical Center has been repeatedly accused of denying cancer care to low-income patients. A patient advocate is suing Doña Ana County for allegedly refusing to provide documents about the hospital's cancer program.

The suit, which centers on Memorial Medical Center, is related to allegations the hospital denied cancer care to uninsured residents.

The site of a former state history museum in Socorro is set to be demolished after 10 years of vacancy. Demolition was i...
05/28/2026

The site of a former state history museum in Socorro is set to be demolished after 10 years of vacancy. Demolition was initially scheduled to start in June but advocates argue the state should reconsider and repurpose the space to provide services to foster and at-risk youth.

The state says it has tried everything and that repurposing the facility would require millions and a monumental effort.

Nicole O’Daniel won’t be able to give birth to her second child — due in early August — in the town where she lives afte...
05/23/2026

Nicole O’Daniel won’t be able to give birth to her second child — due in early August — in the town where she lives after Los Alamos Medical Center announced it is discontinuing its labor and delivery services and sending patients elsewhere.

The move has sparked disappointment and fear among parents like O'Daniel who say an open hospital in their community should be able to provide that care.

The change is the latest in a series of shrinkages in obstetric care for New Mexico patients, particularly those who live in rural areas.

New Mexico’s controversial new strategy of immediately taking drug-exposed newborns into custody faces a state Supreme C...
05/23/2026

New Mexico’s controversial new strategy of immediately taking drug-exposed newborns into custody faces a state Supreme Court challenge. The ACLU of New Mexico, joined by two Democratic state lawmakers, filed a petition this week calling for the high court to halt the practice because they claim it violates parents’ rights.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and CYFD argue the strategy is working, affecting scores of newborns in New Mexico.

The future of New Mexico’s free, universal childcare system is uncertain as Democratic candidates seeking the governor’s...
05/14/2026

The future of New Mexico’s free, universal childcare system is uncertain as Democratic candidates seeking the governor’s office promise to double down on the initiative, while the Republicans question its fairness and financial feasibility, going so far as to challenge the program in court.

Here's a look at where things stand.

"In child care, I really think we have done it as right as you can," Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said.

New Mexico’s state-subsidized childcare program has the better part of $1 billion over the next several years to fund an...
05/13/2026

New Mexico’s state-subsidized childcare program has the better part of $1 billion over the next several years to fund an expansion to free, universal access. But overspending just weeks into the launch of the expansion has legislative analysts concerned about the program's sustainability.

“The universal expansion went into place in November, and we started seeing the overspending in December,” committee spokesperson Helen Gaussoin said.

Analysts say the state will likely need to revise its future budgeting for universal childcare, due to a higher than expected surge in enrollment.

A union representing workers at the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department says the state agency retaliated ...
05/12/2026

A union representing workers at the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department says the state agency retaliated and harassed employees who shed light in recent news reports on the toxic work environments happening at county offices. CYFD officials are denying the allegations.

CYFD denied investigating its workers and highlighted initiatives they said have curbed vacancy rates in frontline workers.

Parents and foster parents across New Mexico like Cecilia Sharbutt in Las Cruces have faced insurmountable barriers in i...
05/08/2026

Parents and foster parents across New Mexico like Cecilia Sharbutt in Las Cruces have faced insurmountable barriers in identifying their children’s mental and behavioral health conditions. But trying to get them the services they need has been just as challenging as the rollout of a statewide system of care has fallen years behind schedule.

“There were nights where I would be up all night just crying because I felt so alone,” Sharbutt said. “It didn’t matter who I spoke to, didn’t matter who I talked to, nobody had any answers for me..."

The dispute between CFYD and a state behavioral health board dragged on for nearly a year, threatening to disrupt care for kids.

Allyson Fernandez, a Vadito mother who deputies call a known drug dealer, is facing charges of child abuse in the appare...
05/06/2026

Allyson Fernandez, a Vadito mother who deputies call a known drug dealer, is facing charges of child abuse in the apparent overdose death of her 6-year-old daughter. Fernandez had been the subject of seven CYFD investigations since 2020.

CYFD investigated the family seven times since 2020 but never removed the girl from her mother's care, a spokesperson wrote.

Artesia General Hospital, a 25-bed facility with clinics throughout southeastern New Mexico, is implementing AI technolo...
05/06/2026

Artesia General Hospital, a 25-bed facility with clinics throughout southeastern New Mexico, is implementing AI technology into its workflows — and it's providing results.

Dr. Peter Jewell, a family medicine physician at the facility, said AI has helped him focus more on patients instead of having to type up notes behind a computer.

"There's a lot of fear in AI these days," one doctor said. "But honestly, this isn't really doing my job. It's helping me take notes."

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