Having a lot of abandoned or foreclosed homes in your community can hurt morale and drag down property values. A group of neighborhood associations in Southeast Albuquerque are taking things into their own hands.

The Affordable Care Act says health insurers can’t deny coverage for someone or charge them more if they have a pre-existing condition. State senators approved a local measure 21-14 Thursday night that would protect folks in case that law is weakened or repealed. It now heads to Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk.

The state Senate unanimously passed a bill this week to have Medicaid cover services to help people quit smoking. Under the proposal, Medicaid would pay for counseling, medications and other resources that help get folks off cigarettes, e-cigs and chewing tobacco.

The Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission will hold a series of public hearings throughout March to gather reports of mistreatment of Native American students in K-12 schools in and around the Navajo Nation.

Española residents didn’t know about drinking water contamination for months. Thursday city officials issued a warning about high levels of nitrates in the city’s water that could be harmful to children and pregnant women and possibly fatal for infants. Public Health New Mexico’s May Ortega spoke with Austin Fisher who broke the story this week for the Rio Grande Sun . He says test results show contaminant levels are lower now than they were in the fall.

Young children are being hospitalized with the flu in New Mexico at more than three times the national rate. There have been 122 hospitalizations of children four years old or younger so far this flu season, according to the Department of Health, but those numbers only represent 60 percent of the state's population. “It's a little concerning that we’ve got this relatively high rate of child influenza hospitalizations that we’re seeing," said Dr. Michael Landen, the state's epidemiologist. "We’re

A bill that would require universal background checks for almost all gun sales is a signature away from becoming law in New Mexico. More than two-dozen sheriffs signed a letter opposing it, but the Albuquerque Police Department’s on board.

School-based health centers provide basic health care to students across the state. Several communities have lost theirs due to budget cuts over the last few years. But some advocates are optimistic that these health care hubs could be revitalized this session.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham is expected to sign a measure into law that will require background checks for virtually all private gun sales except for sales of antiques and between relatives . Gun safety advocates have been pushing for this type of legislation for years.

Some folks who receive Social Security disability benefits qualify for a free federal work program that can help them find a job. Few eligible New Mexicans actually enrolled in the program last year, but participation is improving some.