New Mexico Department of Health

The retreat covered institutional updates and program reports, including reviews of annual reports, national registry pass rates, and attrition causes. The organization addressed the approval process for EMS training programs, discussed site visit reports and findings for ENMU, and reviewed EMS Bureau updates regarding relicensing and reciprocity. Further discussions included the geographic area of responsibility, the reform of the approval process document, bylaws revisions, and the development of drug treatment guidelines. The group also defined goals for the year, such as website updates, increased participation in medical direction, and improved visibility at regional conferences.

The Healthy Kids Healthy Tribal Communities (HKHTC) Pueblo de San Ildefonso initiative serves as a strategic framework to reduce obesity and the burden of chronic disease by promoting healthy eating and active living among all residents. The program focuses on three main areas: schools, the food system, and the built environment. Key priorities include nutrition education, school gardens, and physical activities in schools; improved food access, garden education, and cultural integration within the food system; and community planning, utilization, and sustainability efforts for the built environment.

This position paper addresses how the use of zip code-level data violates Tribal sovereignty by misrepresenting Native populations. It highlights issues such as inaccurate geographic representation, the erasure and misrepresentation of Native voices in data, and the undermining of Tribal self-determination. The document advocates for an Indigenous-led approach to data collection and governance, emphasizing Indigenous Data Sovereignty and frameworks like the CARE principles to ensure ethical engagement and Tribal control over their own data.

Healthy Kids Healthy Communities (HKHC) is an initiative dedicated to expanding opportunities for healthy eating and physical activity across communities. The program focuses on key priorities including promoting New Mexico Grown food in public meal programs, establishing edible gardens, developing school and preschool wellness policies, and implementing Walk & Roll to School programs with safe routes and in-school walking clubs. By fiscal year 2025, HKHC aims to create healthy living opportunities in 7 counties and 1 Tribal community, leveraging resources to address childhood obesity and improve public health.

This document outlines critical talking points regarding Tribal data sovereignty and governance for the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) and other state agencies. It emphasizes that Tribal Nations are sovereign governments with inherent authority over their data, highlighting obligations under the State-Tribal Collaboration Act (STCA) for meaningful engagement and co-design in data modernization. The principles aim to prevent historical harms, ensure accurate public health outcomes, strengthen public health for all New Mexicans through Tribal-governed data, and mandate the explicit embedding of Tribal Data Sovereignty into NMDOH policies and practices.