On Tuesday, the members of the new Southeast New Mexico College Board of Trustees took their oath of office at the Eddy County District Courthouse. This was another major step in our college’s independence. We also think it is a great board in terms of diversity of knowledge and interests. Congratulations again to Sarah Bowman, Tiffany Frintz, Bill Murrill, Mark Cage and Ned Elkins. Thank you to Judge Lisa Riley for administering the oath.
Thanks again to members of our higher education task force, who got this process going and who are still meeting weekly- especially former State Representative John Heaton and Craig Stephens, but also Wendy Austin, Jay Jenkins, Lane Martin, Kyle Marksteiner and many others. The members of our legislative delegation who introduced the bill for independence, Rep. Cathrynn Brown, Rep. Jim Townsend and Senator Gay Kernan, also remain very involved.
They are still meeting weekly.
The official transition date for most processes at the college will be in April. This spring’s graduates will be NMSU-C graduates, while next fall’s graduates will be SENMC graduates. New Mexico State University has been working very closely with us to ensure that everything is running smoothly. As it is always the case with all major changes, there’s a lot of extra work to do. Any students or families with questions should get with the college.
***
In terms of COVID-19 hospitalizations, the situation has gotten a little better this week, but is still very serious. In mid December, all 12 of Carlsbad Medical Center’s ICU beds were occupied with 11 of them COVID-19 patients, and the situation was similar at hospitals around the area, especially in the case of stressed emergency rooms. As of this Tuesday, the hospital reports 8 ICU patients- all COVID-19 patients who are on ventilators.
Hospital officials continue to tell us that the vast majority of the most serious COVID-19 cases are from those who are unvaccinated. Let’s hope and pray that the situation continues to move in the direction it has for the past few weeks and improve. Please continue to pray for our health care workers, many of who worked through December with little or no time off.
Over the past few weeks, there have also been extra questions about COVID-19 test availability. New Mexicans are still able to order tests through Vault at https://learn.vaulthealth.com/nm/. We have been told there is no charge for a single test, but there will be a charge if a second test is ordered at the same time. Many organizations administering tests are also reporting delays in response time, both due to the holiday schedule and omicron concerns.
The weekly vaccination clinic at the civic center continued to go well. On Monday, 185 vaccinations were administered and were a combination of boosters, first doses and second doses. The next clinic will be held on the morning of January 10. COVID-19 testing is also available at the front of the clinic at the same time.
Sincerely,
Carlsbad Mayor Dale Janway