LLL Volunteers see busy day handing out free books

LLLVolunteersPictured above are some of the LLL volunteers.Volunteers with Literacy Link - Leamos had a busy day last Saturday as they welcomed many who came to select free books from the thousands on display at Watts Hall.  Over the past 21 years, Literacy  Link - Leamos has given over 365,000 books to elementary school children in Grant County.

Led by Helen Lemal, the many volunteers helped book lovers select titles from thousands on display.

Southwest Women’s Fiber Arts Collective's Volunteer Appreciation

VolunteersSWFASome of the Volunteers, photo credit Val WestonThe Southwest Women’s Fiber Arts Collective (SWFAC) recently held their annual
volunteer and donor appreciation brunch at the Corner Kitchen on July 18th, 2023.
SWFAC is an all-volunteer non-profit providing a means to earn income and share fiber
art skills.

Volunteers were honored with a wonderful brunch at the Corner Kitchen, followed by a
presentation of appreciation certificates designed by board member Annette Rubino-
Buckley and a gift made by Mary Ragins, board vice-president. Volunteers who
modeled for the Tapestry of Talent also received a photo by Val Weston taken at the
show.

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Academy graduate receives scholarship

TAHS2023Teen Academy of Health Sciences students with the infant manikin used to receive pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training. The academy students from (left to right) (back row) Xolymar Franco, Destyni Martinez, Yselle Franco, Makayla Anaya, Carmen Medina, with medical students, Sumi Shrestha and Lillie Ely, and Mia Cordova, and Academy instructor Kalah Carrasco; (front row) Leilani Marquez, Jessica Palomarez, and Brooklyn LopezFriday, July 21, 2023; Silver City, NM: Last week, students from the Teen Academy for Health Sciences (TAHS) graduated from the program with medical experience, knowledge shared from Silver City’s health care professionals, and wonderful memories of their visit to medical schools in Las Cruces.

Silver High School sophomore Carmen Medina joined the academy for its practical hands-on medical education, “I want to help people. The Teen Academy certified me in cardiopulmonary resuscitation - CPR.  I want to continue my family’s tradition of being in health care – my grandma was an emergency medical technician, and my uncle is a flight paramedic.”

Medina was awarded the TAHS certificate of exemplary participation by Academy instructor Kalah Carrasco, “Carmen was very observant and asked excellent questions overall. It’s good to see someone paying such close attention.”

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Photo added: HMS Brian Etheridge MD to transition to Chief Medical Officer with BCBS of NM Medicaid

2020 hms brian etheridgeHidalgo Medical Services Pediatrician Brian Etheridge, MD, Transitions to New Role as Chief Medical Officer with Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Mexico Medicaid.

On Wednesday, July 19, Dr. Brian Etheridge, Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) Pediatrician, announced his resignation to Dr. Dan Otero, HMS CEO, and Isaac Saucedo, Interim Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Etheridge has accepted a position with Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) as their Chief Medical Officer of Medicaid. Dr. Etheridge is originally from Las Cruces, NM, and graduated from New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, where he obtained his medical degree in 2004. Dr. Etheridge began practicing general pediatrics and pediatric hospital medicine in Silver City in 2007 and was employed with HMS on two separate occasions, initially from 2007-2009 and again from 2017-2023. He was also employed as a physician and shareholder at Silver Health Care from 2009-2017, and has maintained privileges at Gila Regional Medical Center since 2007. He has trained students and resident physicians from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics.

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Gila Monster spotted near Bill Evans Lake

gila monsterGila Monster runs away from photographer Kevin Toney.

Kevin and Annette Toney went camping this weekend and encountered one of the natives that is named after the Gila Basin, its natural home. The Gila Monster, Heloderma suspectum, a venomous lizard, usually grows up to 20 inches long. The Toneys estimated this one at 15-18 inches, as it scuttled away from then, so it might have been an adult or growing juvenile. 

Although the lizard's bites are venomous, the nerve poison is rarely fatal to humans. The Gila Monster normally preys on small mammals, birds and eggs at night. 

HMS's Mimbres Valley Clinic Opens Full Time

KalliWolfKalli Wolf, APRN, FNP-C, now providing services four days per weekIn February 2023 the Mimbres Valley Health Action League (MVHAL) reached out to Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS), community members, and other healthcare stakeholders in Grant County in attempts to resolve the issue of nonexistent healthcare in the Valley. HMS's Mimbres Valley Clinic (2743 Hwy 35 N) had been closed since December 31, 2o22, and Valley residents who had gotten used to having available healthcare relatively close by, now had to travel to Santa Clara or Silver City.

In March 2023, with an assist from Jamie Newton, MVHAL hosted a Zoom meeting with HMS CEO Dr. Dan Otero, DBA as the featured guest. In addition to Valley residents and members of MVHAL's board of directors, notable participants of the meeting included Priscilla Lucero, executive director of Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments; Randy Hernandez, Grant County's planning & community development director; and Dr. Stacey Cox, CEO of the Center for Health Innovation.

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Watershed restoration continues near Willow Creek

Volunteers join Gila National Forest staff to benefit riparian zone and aquatic life

GLENWOOD, NM, July 19, 2023 – Gila National Forest has been working with volunteers from Trout Unlimited, Mesilla Valley Flyfishers, Amigos Bravos, and other conservation and sporting groups to restore Little Turkey Creek as part of a larger Willow Creek restoration project. Two projects have been completed on Little Turkey Creek, in fall 2022 and spring 2023. Thirty volunteers from all around New Mexico, Colorado, and Arizona participated in the latest, spring project.

Willow Creek is located just north of the Gila Wilderness boundary on the Reserve Ranger District, while Little Turkey Creek lies just inside the wilderness boundary on the Glenwood Ranger District. The Willow Creek watershed, to which Little Turkey Creek is tributary, was burned during the 2012 Whitewater-Baldy Fire.

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Xavier Khera of Silver City, NM named to Berea College Dean's List

BEREA, KY (07/12/2023)-- Xavier Khera, a resident of Silver City, NM, has been named to the Spring 2023 Dean's List at Berea College.

A student is named to the Dean's List who achieves a GPA of 3.4 or higher while passing at least four total credits, a course load equivalent to 16 semester hours.

Berea College is distinctive in higher education. Offering bachelor's degrees in 34 majors, including arts and sciences and select professional programs, as well as independent majors designed by students to mirror approved majors at other colleges, Berea College awards four-year tuition scholarships to all its students, who because of financial circumstances cannot otherwise afford a high-quality, residential, liberal arts education.

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