New Mexico Cabinet secretaries headed to San Juan County for series of events
Various members of Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s Cabinet, including New Mexico Human Services Department Secretary Kari Armijo, will be in San Juan County later this week to participate in events designed to promote and help residents access state and federal government resources.
The events are part of the Cabinet in Your Community the governor initiated in 2019, with secretaries of state agencies traveling together to various parts of New Mexico to meet with citizens and help them enroll in programs designed to benefit them and their families.
The group will be in Farmington at 3 p.m. Thursday, April 11 for a resource fair at Animas Elementary School, 1612 N. Hutton Ave., followed by a town hall at 4 p.m. On Friday, the group will be at Shiprock High School on U.S. Highway 64 in Shiprock for a resource fair at 1 p.m., followed by a town hall at 2 p.m.
Armijo said she has participated in Cabinet in Your Community events in the past and said they have been successful in leading state residents to enroll in programs ranging from child support and Medicaid to senior programs and vaccine programs, as well as helping them obtain state hunting and fishing licenses.
She noted that since the events typically take place in smaller communities, the number of new enrollees may not be high, but the Cabinet in Your Community tour stops allow her and her fellow secretaries to reach folks who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
The program also offers the advantage of real-time enrollment, Armijo said, explaining that, in many cases, residents walk away from the events with all their paperwork complete, often with a program card in their hand. It takes as little as 10 or 15 minutes to apply for most programs her agency offers, she said, as long as residents come prepared with such essential documents as an ID, two pay stubs, their Social Security number and a utility bill.
To enroll in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal program offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that the New Mexico Human Services Department administers in the state, there is an interview required that takes an additional 10 or 15 minutes, Armijo said. Those interviews also will be conducted on site during the stops in Farmington and Shiprock, she said.
Armijo said many New Mexicans who are eligible for state or federal benefits don’t take advantage of such programs because they assume they don’t qualify, especially those who are working. But she said the income threshold for some of those programs — especially Medicaid for children — is as high as 400% of the poverty level.
“We do serve one million New Mexicans today,” she said of her agency’s reach, noting that equates to roughly half the state’s population. “But that number could be higher.”
Armijo said that as one of the highest-poverty states in the country, New Mexico has significant issues with health-care access and food insecurity. She plans on addressing both those issues during the town halls in Farmington and Shiprock.
The San Juan County stop is the first this year for the Cabinet in Your Community program, but the Cabinet secretaries will be making other appearances around the state this summer and fall, Armijo said.
“We want New Mexicans to know that their state government is here for them, and that we’re building stronger communities through accessible state resources,” the governor stated in a news release announcing the Cabinet in Your Community events in San Juan County. “Please join my administration’s cabinet secretaries in Farmington and Shiprock April 11-12 to connect with state services and get the support you deserve.”
According to the news release, food boxes, books, backpacks and other resources will be distributed at the San Juan County events.
Armijo also noted that there will be a series of events planned around the state to promote Turquoise Care — the Human Services Department’s managed care program for Medicaid that begins July 1 — throughout the year. That tour begins with a stop in Carlsbad on Tuesday, April 9.
Mike Easterling can be reached at 505-564-4610 or measterling@daily-times.com. Support local journalism with a digital subscription: http://bit.ly/2I6TU0e.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Gov.'s Cabinet in Your Community program coming to San Juan County
