New Mexico bill would fund DEI program to combat healthcare shortage

A New Mexico bill advancing in the House aims to address a major healthcare worker shortage by giving $1.1 million to a university diversity, equity, and inclusion program.

The House Health and Human Services Committee voted 9-1 in favor of House Bill 35, sponsored by Democrat state Reps. Pamelya Herndon and Cristina Parajon, on Jan. 23.

The bill would give $1,178,286 to the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for a program that seeks to foster “cultural diversity” in healthcare.

The DEI office’s Communities to Careers program provides support and resources to help “learners from all walks of life, particularly students who identify as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, first-generation college attendees and other underrepresented groups” enter healthcare careers, according to its website.