NMSOP News:

SANTA FE — Patients, survivors, and advocates from across New Mexico will gather at the State Capitol on Friday, January 30, for Patient Advocacy Day, hosted by New Mexico Safety Over Profit (NMSOP).

Patient Advocacy Day will center the voices of New Mexicans who have been directly impacted by the state’s health care workforce shortage, unsafe hospital conditions, and barriers to accountability when preventable harm occurs. Participants will meet with lawmakers to share why NMSOP’s legislative priorities are critical to improving access to care without weakening patient safety or constitutional rights.

Patient Advocacy Day at the State Capitol

• Date: Jan. 30, 2026
• Location: New Mexico State Capitol, Santa Fe, Committee Room 326
• Press Conference: 12 p.m.
• Media Availability: Members of the press are invited to attend the press conference and speak with patient advocates and NMSOP leadership before and after meetings with legislators.

“New Mexico’s health care crisis isn’t theoretical – it’s lived,” said Johana Bencomo, Executive Director of New Mexico Safety Over Profit. “Patients are waiting months to see doctors, traveling hours for care, and too often suffering harm in systems that prioritize profit over safety. Patient Advocacy Day is about making sure lawmakers hear directly from the people living with the consequences of these policy decisions.”

NMSOP’s legislative priorities are guided by the “WHO” test, a consistent, evidence-based framework that asks three core questions:

• Who benefits? Patients and doctors or insurers and corporate hospital owners?
• Harm reduction: Does it reduce patient harm, not just liability exposure?
• Outcomes: Does it actually do what it claims – bring doctors and reduce the shortage?

Using that lens, the organization is advocating for solutions that strengthen the health care workforce while improving safety and accountability and against policy proposals that limit survivors’ access to the justice system when harm occurs.

NMSOP’s 2026 legislative priorities include:

Opposing

• Punitive damage caps
• Caps on attorneys fees
• Ending PCF single payment directly to harmed patients

Supporting

• Robust student loan forgiveness for providers who commit to serving New Mexico communities.
• Housing down-payment assistance for doctors practicing in rural areas, where relocation costs and housing availability are real obstacles.
• Medical Injury Collaborative Resolution Act (MICRA)
• Tax credits for independent physicians, who often anchor local health systems and deliver continuity of care that corporate models do not.
• Passing laws to instate meaningful public and legislative oversight of private equity hospitals to protect patients and physicians from corporate overlords.

On Jan. 30, patient advocates will share how these policies affect real lives – from delayed diagnoses and long travel times for care to unsafe hospital environments and obstacles to justice after harm occurs.

For more information about NM Safety Over Profit, visit NMSOP.org.