U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan GrishamFrom the Office of Michelle Lujan Grisham:
ALBUQUERQUE ― U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham has a decades-long record of serving communities across New Mexico. With experience at local, state, and federal levels she is uniquely qualified to lead our state to a brighter future.
Lujan Grisham served as either a department head or cabinet secretary under three different governors. As the state’s leading advocate for senior citizens, veterans and disabled New Mexicans, Michelle served for 14 years as the Director of Agency on Aging and Cabinet Secretary of the Department of Aging and Long-Term Services. She provided the leadership to accomplish a broad range of initiatives including:
Addressing abuse and neglect in nursing homes.
Lujan Grisham expanded home and community-based long-term care programs, making New Mexico the most progressive state in long-term care funding and system design. Among the programs she expanded, was the Ombudsman resident advocacy program. [Santa Fe New Mexican, Op-Ed, 11/13/99]
As the Director of the state Agency on Aging, she implemented undercover investigations — first of its kind anywhere in the country. [Santa Fe New Mexican, 2/5/97]
As Cabinet Secretary at the Department of Health, Lujan Grisham took the responsibility to ensure the health and well-being of children in New Mexico.
Lujan Grisham doubled the number of school-based health centers across the state. The number of centers was brought from 34 to 68 and there are now centers in nearly every county in New Mexico. Additionally, she fought the Bush Administration’s abstinence-only agenda and implemented comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education in schools. [Ruidoso News, 10/26/06], [Albuquerque Journal, 3/31/05]
As Secretary of Health, Lujan Grisham increased New Mexico’s immunization rate by 14 percent in two years, ensuring kids got a healthy start.
This took the state from 49th in the country to 15th. Lujan Grisham also lead the push, with support from the medical community, to reduce exposure to thimerosal (Mercury) in flu vaccines. New Mexico now has some of the strictest vaccine standards for mercury levels in the United States. [The Albuquerque Tribune, 7/26/05], [Albuquerque Journal,2/5/06]
Lujan Grisham advocated for enactment of the Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act.
The enactment of medical cannabis legislation – Lynn and Erin Compassionate Care Act. She advocated for the enactment of medical cannabis legislation (Lynn and Erin Compassionate Use Act), creating a program within the Deptpartment of Health to administer the program.
As Secretary of the Department of Health, Lujan Grisham secured millions for healthcare infrastructure.
The funding was used to invest in a state-of-the-art lab in Albuquerque, a rehab hospital in Roswell, a long-term care facility and alcohol treatment center in Bayard and a long-term care facility in Las Vegas.
