The work group considered a staff recommendation for a $2,000,000 one-time appropriation to create a strategic health-care recruitment program. Staff described the pilot as a nonrecurring appropriation that would track doctors who leave the state and those returning, with the goal of identifying retention strategies and interventions. The proposal is tied to enabling legislation and would be placed in the nonrecurring section of the budget rather than the grow section.

Representative Herndon asked whether the funds could be used immediately to help the University of New Mexico, which the representative said recently lost a urogynecologist and will lose two residents. Staff replied the $2 million is tied to specific legislation and that they would research other appropriations that UNM might be eligible to receive if the university needs replacement funding. A fellow member noted hospitals typically have recruitment budgets funded from clinical revenue.

No formal vote was taken; staff said they would conduct follow-up research on eligibility and program scope.