Health
New Mexico governor seeks funds for urban clinic


New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D) is asking the Indian Health Service to find money to keep an urban Indian health clinic in Albuquerque open.

Richardson said the pending closure of the Albuquerque Indian Health Center will hurt urban Indians in the state's largest city. "The closure of the walk-in facility will delay the delivery of critical medical treatment and compromise the health of many urban Native Americans who lack health insurance," he wrote in the letter.

Late last month, Dr. Charles Grim, director of the IHS, said there wasn't enough money to bail out the clinic. New Mexico's two senators had asked for $5 million.

Get the Story:
Feds Asked To Keep Indian Clinic Open (AP 2/10)

Relevant Links:
Indian Health Service - http://www.ihs.gov

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IHS escapes Bush administration's chopping block (2/8)
Bingaman asks HHS secretary to help urban Indians (02/03)
Bush cutting urban IHS facility in New Mexico (1/31)