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Thousands of people in Albuquerque attended Saturday鈥檚 鈥淣o Kings Day鈥� rally, part of a nationwide day of protest against President Trump's policies.

The health care worker shortage in New Mexico hits rural areas particularly hard. That鈥檚 especially true for finding specialty care to manage chronic disease. UNM's Project ECHO is using their model to close these gaps.

The United Health Professionals of New Mexico rallied outside University of New Mexico Hospital鈥檚 Sandoval Regional Medical Center on Monday calling for a 3% raise that every other employee received.

Residents at the University of New Mexico Hospital ratified a new contract last week, winning a 5% raise after months of negotiations.

Waiting months for health care appointments is a common experience for New Mexicans, in part because of a lacking health care workforce. On this week鈥檚 Let鈥檚 Talk New Mexico, we鈥檒l discuss plans to recruit and retain workers to boost access to quality healthcare.

New Mexico鈥檚 health care staffing shortage continues to worsen, with a recent report noting nearly all counties say this is their top occupational need. During a recent hearing of the Legislative Health and Humans Services Committee, an official with Presbyterian Medical Services spoke about the impacts of these shortages and offered recommendations to lawmakers to recruit and retain more workers.

A brand-new facility that will treat mental health emergencies will begin taking patients on Tuesday June 18, and some of the state鈥檚 top officials celebrated the center in a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday.

An Albuquerque shelter for people experiencing homelessness opened a receiving area for first responders Wednesday. That is in addition to several other services the city is adding on to the still-new shelter.

Consistent health care access for New Mexicans can be a challenge. About 25% of people in the state live at or below the federal poverty line and the shortage of healthcare workers impacts routine preventative care. But youth advocates who hope to help fill some of those gaps with a health equity fair taking place Saturday.

It鈥檚 hard to get an appointment with a doctor right now and recent data helps explain why. From 2017 to 2021 the number of primary care physicians in the state dropped by 30%, and specialists are leaving too. Some providers are leaving for another profession or retiring, but others are leaving New Mexico for better pay or for more balanced lives in states with more robust healthcare systems.