News Flash

Media contact: Catherine Zaharko, Doña Ana County
575-525-5801 • catherinez@donaanacounty.org 

OBJECTIVE: To streamline communication between local government agencies during the COVID-19 response. Partner organizations include city and county representatives, local hospitals, the Department of Health, jail and prison facilities, first responders, the Las Cruces Public School district, the Town of Mesilla, City of Anthony, City of Sunland Park and Village of Hatch. 

JIC members collaborate on a weekly conference call at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. The notes compiled during that call are made available at www.las-cruces.org and www.donaanacounty.org. 

Regional Hospital Resources (Including Dona Ana, Catron, Socorro, Grant, Sierra, Luna, Lincoln, Hidalgo, and Otero County.) as of 7/7/2020 11:30 a.m.:

Regional updates: 

City of Anthony Chief Vanessa Ordoñez, Anthony Police Dept. Oscar Dominguez, City Manager Chief Ordonez asked about enforcement of the ordinance to mandate wearing of masks and suggested that law enforcement across the county get together to coordinate how that will look. Nothing new to report. 

www.cityofanthonynm.com 

City of Sunland Park 

Capt. Dennis Schoen, Sunland Park Fire 

www.sunlandpark-nm.gov No report. 

City of Las Cruces 

Jennifer Martinez 

Steve Ramirez 

www.las-cruces.org At Monday’s city council meeting the council voted unanimously to extend the use of face masks as long as the Governor’s order is in place. Parks and recreation’s updates are included. http://las-cruces.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3113 http://las-cruces.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=3102 

Las Cruces Police / Las Cruces Fire 

Dan Trujillo 

www.las-cruces.org No report. 

Las Cruces Public Schools 

Samantha Lewis 

Kelly Jameson 

www.lcps.net · Finalizing Return Plan. · Special Board meeting on the 14th to present the Return Plan to the Board. · www.returnplan.lcps.net 

Doña Ana County 

Catherine Zaharko 

Luce Rubio 

Jamie Michael 

www.donaanacounty.org The Government Center remains closed to the public until further notice due to COVID-19. 

Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office 

Sgt. Robyn Gojkovich 

www.goDASO.org No report. 

Doña Ana County Detention Center 

Capt. Bryan Baker 

www.donaanacounty.org/detention No report. 

Village of Hatch Chief Tim Thornton, Hatch PD www.villageofhatch.org Nothing new to report. Questions about enforcement of wearing of masks. 

Town of Mesilla 

Dorothy Sellers 

www.mesillanm.gov Nothing new to report. 

Memorial Medical Center 

Ryan Perkins 

www.mmclc.org No report. 

MountainView Regional Medical 

Center 

Ben Woods 

www.mountainviewregional.com No report. 

New Mexico State University 

Justin Bannister 

www.nmsu.edu As we prepare for our return to campus in a little over six short weeks, we’re keenly aware that the COVID-19 pandemic is not the only crisis that the NMSU system, our Aggie community, and our world are facing. In addition to this health emergency, we are experiencing a global economic crisis, as well as a movement for true change to address the racism and inequity experienced by people of color in our society. It was in the context of this third crisis that we heard from a Black member of our Aggie community who felt that our NMSU Ready plan didn’t do enough to make them feel included. Our opening letter called out our status as a Hispanic-Serving Institution – a designation from the U.S. Department of Education that we are proud to have earned. But this individual correctly pointed out that any statement about our inclusive community should make students and employees of all backgrounds feel seen and included. 

Adding “Minority-Serving Institution” – a broader way to define our Department of Education designation – to our letter is a small change, but words matter. Representation matters. We want all of our students and our employees to know that they belong to our NMSU community, and our mission is to serve them all. #NMSUReady plan updates for July 7 In response to feedback, planning, and new information, we’ve uploaded another update to the NMSU Ready plan, available now on the ready.nmsu.edu site. You’ll find a table on page 4 that tracks previous changes and additions. Here are the key updates this week: · We added language to clarify that the NMSU system is both a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and a Minority-Serving Institution (p. 2). · We added information about personal accountability and COVID-19 (p. 6). · We added details about how the NMSU system plans to respond to a surge in COVID-19 cases (p. 9). · We added clarification on how students are encouraged to report a positive test for COVID-19 (p. 17). Town Hall coming up Thursday President John Floros and I, along with members of our Rapid Response Team, will host a virtual town hall at 3 p.m. this Thursday. We’ll start with updates about the NMSU Ready plan and our return to campus. President Floros will then provide a detailed update about changes to our budget. You are welcome to submit your questions in advance of the session. Tune in to watch on Zoom or Panopto. You can also catch up on previous town halls, including transcriptions, here. 

Signs and Informational Posters In addition to temporary signage being installed by Facilities & Services, we’ve created some printable informational posters that now available for download at ready.nmsu.edu. These include information about our NMSU rules and expectations regarding face coverings, social distancing, behavior in classrooms and between classes, and more. We’ll continue to add new signs in the coming weeks, outlining NMSU’s COVID-19 Safety Commitment, a checklist for daily self-monitoring, and other important topics. 

New Mexico State University Police 

Deputy Chief Andrew Bowen 

www.nmsupolice.com Nothing new to report. 

Office of Emergency Management 

Cullen Combs 

Amanda Bowen 

www.donaanacounty.org/emergency Nothing new to report. 

Southern New Mexico Correctional 

Facility 

Lt. Carlos Reyes 

https://cd.nm.gov/nmcd-prison-facilities/southern-

new-mexico-correctional-facility/ No report. 

State of NM Aging & Long-Term 

Services 

Andrea Ferrales-Nevarez, Ombudsman Program 

http://www.nmaging.state.nm.us Nothing new to report. 

Mesilla Valley Regional Dispatch 

Authority 

Hugo Costa, Executive Director 

www.mvrda.org No report. 

U.S. Border Patrol, El Paso Sector 

Officer Joseph Barron www.cbp.gov/border-security/along-us-borders/border-patrol-sectors/el-paso-sector-texas Due to staffing constraints, CBP will not be contributing daily updates to the Joint Information Center. Occasional messages will be passed along via email as necessary. 

NM Department of Health 

David Morgan 

www.cv.nmhealth.org Testing Sites for 7-8-20: Blue Horizon Assisted Living Casa Bella Assisted Living Public Health Office