Español Health & Human Services
Silvia Sierra
| Phone: | (575) 525-5833 |
|---|---|
| Fax: | (575) 525-5876 |
| TDD: | (575) 525-5951 |
Health & Human Services
The Doña Ana County Health and Human Services Department’s mission is to improve the quality of life in Doña Ana County by identifying and addressing unmet health and human service needs.
It strives to do this by establishing an environment that promotes respect, preserves dignity, fosters trust and creates caring for our residents and employees.
In 2012 Doña Ana County was designated as a Safe Community and is part of the Safe Communities America network. The network consists of communities that have demonstrated leadership in safety promotion and injury prevention and meet all six indicators of the Safe Communities Program. Please visit http://www.safecommunitiesamerica.org for more information about the Safe Communities Program.
If anyone is interested in applying for the Health Fund External Agency Evaluation Committee, please download the following applications:
Outreach and Education
Finance
Colonias Initiative
Description of the County
Doña Ana County is situated in the south-central region of New Mexico. It borders El Paso County, Texas to the east and southeast, and the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, to the south, where it shares approximately 53 miles of its border with Mexico. As the second-largest county in the state, Doña Ana County is 3,815 square miles (3,807 square miles of land and 7 square miles of water) (U.S. Census 2010). According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the population for 2010 was 209,233, a 19.8 percent population growth from 2000. Four incorporated municipalities -- Las Cruces, Mesilla, Hatch, and Sunland Park -- lie within the county. The City of Las Cruces, located centrally in the county, accounts for about 47 percent of the total population (U.S. Census 2010). The remaining 53 percent of Dona Ana County residents live outside the city limits of Las Cruces, many in rural communities with limited access to services.
Doña Ana County includes 37 of New Mexico’s 55 federally designated underdeveloped communities, also referred to as "colonias". According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 97 percent of colonias residents are Hispanic with an average annual income of $5,000. About 85 percent of colonias residents are U.S. citizens. These rural areas are without safe, sanitary and affordable housing, drinkable water, sewer, and/or drainage systems (U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development). Many of the colonias are located in the northern and southern areas of the county.
According to U.S. Census 2010 for Doña Ana County:
- Total Population 209,233
- Urban Population 80 percent (census 2000)
- Rural Population 19.9 percent (colonia residents) (census 2000)
- Total Hispanic or Latino population 65.7 percent
- Not Hispanic or Latino 34.3 percent
- Native residence (Born in state or in other state) 82.2 percent
- Foreign Born (Naturalized citizen or not a citizen) 17.8 percent
- Median household income $35,541, versus the State of New Mexico at $42,830
- Per Capita Income $17,639 versus, the State of New Mexico at $22,461
- Population below poverty level 24.8 percent
- 51.7 percent speak a language other than English at home. Of those speaking a language other than English at home, 96 percent speak Spanish and 4 percent speak some other language.
Health Profile of the County
Approximately 21.3 percent of residents in Doña Ana County are medically indigent (2009-2011 3-Year Estimates, American Community Survey). Medically indigent adults - In the health care system of the United States are persons who do not have health insurance and who are not eligible for other health care coverage, such as Medicaid, Medicare, or private health insurance. As of February 2013, 68,296 residents were enrolled in Medicaid.
Doña Ana County has a large contingency of immigrant and migrant workers, along with their families, which are predominately monolingual in the Spanish language. It is estimated that 30 percent of the population in the New Mexico border area is uninsured or under insured.
The county is a designated Medically Underserved Area and a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area. In 2009 there were 1.5 licensed physicians per 1,000 residents and only 0.38 dentists per 1,000 residents (2009 Geographic Access Data System Report, NM Health Policy Commission). The Medicaid, uninsured, and underinsured residents currently receive care from a variety of locations throughout the county. Two Federally Qualified Health Centers (Ben Archer Health Center and La Clinica de Familia) provide primary/dental care via 11 clinic sites thought the county. In addition, the county also has two acute-care hospitals: Memorial Medical Center and Mountain View Regional Medical Center, both in Las Cruces.
Rates for Doña Ana County According to New Mexico’s Indicator Based Information System
- Female breast cancer death rate 23.1, compared to NM rate of 22.1 (2001-2005)
- Deaths due to diabetes rate 32.6, compared to New Mexico rate of 32.5 (2008-2010)
- Hospitalizations caused by diabetes rate 12.8 per 10,000 (2007-2009)
- Childhood immunization coverage 91 percent, compared to New Mexico 88 percent (2012)
- Hepatitis B rate 4.5, compared to New Mexico 7.1 (2006-2009)
- Infant mortality rate 4.2 per 1,000 (2006-2011)
- Percent of women beginning prenatal care in 1st trimester 56.5 percent (2009-2010)
- Pregnancy rate in adolescents 15-17 years of age 39.5 (2008-2010)
- Percent of women beginning prenatal care in 1st trimester 68 percent
- Adult obesity 28.8 percent (2006-2008)
- Adolescent obesity 11.5 percent of students (2005, 2007, 2009)
- Suicide mortality rate 15.2, compared to New Mexico rate of 18.6 (2007-2009)
- Asthma hospitalization rate 7.2 (1999-2010)
- Teen birth rate of 39.5, compared to New Mexico rate of 33.1 (2008-2010)