Resources

April 12, 2021

Mental Health Resources

Places to Call for Help

In New Mexico, you can talk to trained staff if you have mental health or substance abuse concerns: call the NM Crisis and Access Line at 1-855-NMCRISIS (662-7474) 24 hours a day/7 days a week. You are not alone and it is normal to feel anxious and worried! You can confidentially reach out to talk to someone anytime and anyplace.

If you want to hurt yourself, reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.

Call 911 if you are in an EMERGENCY SITUATION. If you feel like you’re going to hurt yourself, it is an emergency!

If You Just Want Someone to Hear You Out…

Call the Peer-to-Peer Warmline at (855) 466-7100. They are available to talk every day from 3:30p – 11:30p MT. They are available by text from 6:00p – 11:00p MT

April 12, 2021

New Mexico Gas Company COVID-19 Relief for Small Business Customers

Qualified accounts will be eligible for a one-time credit of 0.50 cents for every dollar paid, up to $250, not to exceed the total balance on the account on a first come first served basis.

Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2022 or until all funds have been allocated, whichever comes first.

Program Requirements – To qualify, a small business must be:

Registered with the New Mexico Secretary of State.
An active non-residential, Small Volume Rate 54 customer. Please refer to page 2 of your NMGC bill.
A NM, locally-owned business with 50 or fewer employees.
Experiencing financial hardships due to COVID-19, with an account at least 30 days in arrears.
Able to pay at least 15% of the past due balance and agree to enter into a payment arrangement for the remaining past due balance.

Source: https://www.nmgco.com/SmallBusiness/CovidRelief

April 12, 2021

Restaurant Revitalization Funding Available Now

An eligible business may receive a tax-free federal grant equal to the amount of its pandemic-related revenue loss, calculated by subtracting its 2020 gross receipts from its 2019 gross receipts.

Eligible expenses are those incurred from February 15, 2020 to December 31, 2021, or a date determined by the SBA. If all grant funds are not spent by the business, or the business permanently closes before the end of the covered period, the business must return unused funds to the Treasury.

For more information, check out: https://restaurant.org/downloads/pdfs/advocacy/understandingrrf

April 12, 2021

CDC Update About Surface Cleaning Effectiveness

The principal mode by which people are infected with SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is through exposure to respiratory droplets carrying infectious virus. It is possible for people to be infected through contact with contaminated surfaces or objects (fomites), but the risk is generally considered to be low. (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/surface-transmission.html)

The most reliable way to prevent infection from surfaces is to regularly wash hands or use hand sanitizer.

Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can also reduce the risk of infection.

Always follow standard practices and appropriate regulations specific to your type of facility for minimum standards for cleaning and disinfection. This guidance is indicated for buildings in community settings and is not intended for healthcare settings or for other facilities where specific regulations or practices for cleaning and disinfection may apply.

Source: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/disinfecting-building-facility.html#other-facilities

April 12, 2021

COVID-19 Testing Sites and Times

Grant County Public Health Office, 2610 N. Silver Street Silver City, NM

Provides free testing every Tuesday from 8:30-10:30a.m. Testing is free, but insurance will be requested upon registration at https://cvtestreg.nmhealth.org/

Once registered, you will receive a code. Please save this code and arrive during the designated times. Please remain in your vehicle and wear a mask.

Testing may be delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather.

Hidalgo County Public Health Office, 530 DeMoss Street, Lordsburg, NM

Testing will be conducted every Thursday from 9:00-10:00a.m. Please remain in your vehicles. Testing is free, but insurance will be requested upon registration at at https://cvtestreg.nmhealth.org/

Once registered, you will receive a code. Please save this code and arrive during the designated times. Please remain in your vehicle and wear a mask.

Testing may be delayed or cancelled due to inclement weather.

CVS Pharmacy Drive-thru in Silver City, 610 Silver Heights Blvd., Silver City, NM.

Patients will be required to stay in their cars and will be directed to the pharmacy drive-thru window. Testing is available every day.

Patients must register in advance at CVS.com Self-swab tests will be made available to individuals meeting CDC criteria, in addition to state and age guidelines. Testing is free, but those who have insurance should bring their card with them.

Albertsons – Silver City, New Mexico

Saliva Test- Cost $120.00 (not covered by insurance). Procedure: Recipients register online via the Albertson’s website, then receive a tube for saliva collection. The specimen is then mailed to a lab and results are sent back within three to five days.

Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS)

Testing is now available Monday through Friday 8:30 am to 2:30pm (closed 12-1pm for lunch) in all HMS locations — Animas, Cliff-Gila, Mimbres, Mining District, Lordsburg, Silver City, Bayard, and Santa Clara.

Testing expanded to everyone at both sites via a drive-up testing approach. Testing is free, but those who have insurance should bring their card with them. Call 575-388-1511 for an appointment in Silver City, 1-888-271-3596 for an appointment in Lordsburg.

At-home, self-administered COVID-19 saliva test opportunities

At-home, self-administered COVID-19 saliva tests offer accurate laboratory-confirmed results returned within 24-48 hours of receipt of the sample.

The free tests are available to New Mexico residents regardless of exposure risk– whether they are symptomatic or asymptomatic, and whether they have come into close contact with a confirmed COVID-19 positive individual or not.

To order a test, and for more information, visit learn.vaulthealth.com/nm/.

April 7, 2021

Study finds carcinogen above FDA limit in several hand sanitizer brands

As reported by CBS Morning, Valisure, an independent pharmacy and lab that tests drug products for quality, says it tested 260 products and found elevated levels of benzene in more than 20 of them.

Benzene is a known human carcinogen, and exposure to it is known to cause blood disorders, including leukemia.

Below is a list of the hand sanitizer brands that this study found have levels of benzene above allowable levels.

Artnaturals
SS Lavender & Herbs Scented Sanitizer
Huangjisoo Hand Sanitizer Gel Type Hand Cleanser
True Wash Instant Hand Sanitizer Natural
The Crème Shop Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer Peppermint-Scented Infused with Aloe Vera & Vitamin E
Star Wars Mandalorian Hand Sanitizer (blue and green)
Body Prescriptions Winter Mint Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer
Born Basic Anti-Bac Hand Sanitizer
Beauty Concepts Sugar Cookie Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer
Pure Logic Hand Sanitizer Aloe + Green Tea
Miami Carry On Instant Sanitizer Gel Soothing Gel – Wash Free – With Aloe
Natural Wunderz Triple Action Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer Aloe Vera
Clean-Protect-Sanitize Hand Sanitizer
Puretize Hand Sanitizer
Hand Clean 100 Ethanol Gel

See below for links to the CBSNews article and the laboratory testing results.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hand-sanitizer-benzene-cancer-chemical/

https://www.valisure.com/wp-content/uploads/Valisure-FDA-Citizen-Petition-on-Hand-Sanitizer-v4.14.pdf

April 3, 2021

SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans Increase Lending Limits

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced that the deadline to apply for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program for the COVID-19 pandemic disaster declaration has been extended to Dec. 31, 2021.

If you are a small business, nonprofit organization of any size, or a U.S. agricultural business with 500 or fewer employees that have suffered substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, you can apply for the COVID-19 EIDL.

EIDL loan applications will continue to be accepted through December 2021 pending the availability of funds. Loans are offered at a 3.75 percent interest rate for small businesses and a 2.75 percent interest rate for nonprofit organizations, with a 30-year maturity and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin.

For loans approved starting the week of April 6, 2021: 24-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $500,000.

Eligible small businesses and nonprofits can apply for the program at https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/covid-19-economic-injury-disaster-loan .

March 29, 2021

Call center support for vaccine registration option on Department of Health hotline

January 7, 2021 – 2019 Novel Coronavirus – Alert

The New Mexico Department of Health today announced that the DOH hotline now offers support for questions surrounding vaccine registration.

Nearly 300,000 New Mexicans have registered for vaccine at the state’s website: https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org

The registration process is straightforward: users create a profile, enter health and other information, and then wait to receive notification from DOH when vaccine is available to them.

Users who have questions or would like support with the registration process – including New Mexicans who do not have internet access – can dial 1-855-600-3453, press option 0 for vaccine questions, and then option 4 for tech support.

Users who have other vaccine-related questions can call 1-855-600-3453 and simply press option 0 for vaccine questions.

“New Mexico is working to deliver the vaccine as quickly and efficiently as possible. We encourage everyone to register – and we are pleased to provide in-person support to assist with that process,” said Dr. Tracie Collins, Secretary-Designate of the New Mexico Department of Health.

March 29, 2021

Register Today for the COVID-19 Vaccine

We need everyone to register for a vaccine and booster!

Even if you are not in the group currently being vaccinated, or if you feel safe in your own situation, please register. You are not “cutting” in front of others in the line, so please don’t believe that your sacrifice saves a space for someone else. Health officials use the registration numbers to know how many doses of the vaccine to order, so signing up helps both yourself and your community.

Please register at https://cvvaccine.nmhealth.org/ as soon as possible. The following graphics should make the process clear.

March 14, 2021

Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace

This guidance is intended to inform employers and workers in most workplace settings outside of healthcare to help them identify risks of being exposed to and/or contracting COVID-19 at work and to help them determine appropriate control measures to implement. Separate guidance is applicable to healthcare (CDC guidance) and emergency response (CDC guidance) settings. OSHA has additional industry-specific guidance. This guidance contains recommendations as well as descriptions of mandatory safety and health standards. The recommendations are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.

View the OSHA website.