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 updates:
City of Anthony Chief Vanessa Ordoñez, Anthony Police Dept. Oscar Dominguez, City Manager www.cityofanthonynm.com No exposures in the Police Department. Following up on vaccine for frontline workers. No report.
City of Sunland Park
Capt. Dennis Schoen, Sunland Park Fire
www.sunlandpark-nm.gov No report.
City of Las Cruces
Jennifer Martinez The City Council has reduced the cost of a business registration fee from $35 to $5 for all of 2021.
Steve Ramirez www.las-cruces.org https://www.las-cruces.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=4365
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 The end of the Fall 2020 Semester is near. We have one more week—to finish STRONG! Last week we sent out a staff survey about online learning and safety plans to return to the classroom. We had over 1900 staff members finished the survey. The preliminary results showed: · 50% of staff want to remain fully online and 50% want to return in hybrid if that becomes an option. · Staff and student safety remain a top priority for all of us at LCPS. The NMPED Department is requiring all school districts, including LCPS, to start surveillance testing for Covid-19. According to NMPED, 10% of staff members who will be in direct contact with students during the spring semester will have to be tested weekly starting January 4th. We will be attending a training Thursday, Dec 17, to get a better understanding of who will be impacted and how the tests will be done.
Doña Ana County
Catherine Zaharko
Luce Rubio
Jamie Michael
www.donaanacounty.org Communications about COVID-19, vaccine availability and vaccine safety are being planned.
Doña Ana County Sheriff’s Office
Andrea Ferrales-Nevarez
www.goDASO.org DASO offices closed to public except for Wednesdays from 8-5. Still good on PPE.
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 No report.
Town of Mesilla
Dorothy Sellers
www.mesillanm.gov No report.
Memorial Medical Center
Ryan Perkins
www.mmclc.org Both hospitals are getting calls about the COVID-19 vaccine. MMC received 975 vaccines for their frontline healthcare workers and they began vaccinating this morning.
MountainView Regional Medical
Center
Ben Woods
www.mountainviewregional.com Mountain View received 325 doses and started vaccinating yesterday. They are following up with those who received a vaccine yesterday and there have been no major reactions to it. Ben provided the group with a quote from DOH’s website on vaccine availability: The following is taken directly from their website at www.cv.nmhealth.org "The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) is leading the State of New Mexico’s COVID-19 Vaccination Preparedness Planning in close collaboration with other state agencies, as well as public, private and tribal partners throughout the state. ... Vaccine is prioritized for frontline health care workers in hospital settings. The state will then provide vaccine to other frontline healthcare workers and first responders, as well as staff and residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. This is in line with federal recommendations. This means that not everyone will be able to be vaccinated right away, and vaccine may not be available to the general public until mid-2021. Please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and review the Other Resources to become informed, so you can help protect yourself, your family, your friends and your community."
New Mexico State University
Justin Bannister No report.
www.nmsu.edu
New Mexico State University Police
Deputy Chief Andrew Bowen
www.nmsupolice.com Deputy Chief Bowen wants to remind everyone that the campus is closed expect for staff, students and faculty. Sisbarro Park is open.
Office of Emergency Management
Cullen Combs
Amanda Bowen
www.donaanacounty.org/emergency Amanda will talk with UAC about communicating vaccine availability.
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 Continuing to work on getting cards and socks for every resident of assisted living and nursing homes for Christmas. 250 cards have been dropped off at the sheriff’s office.
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: See attached schedule
