Carol Linder, president of Luna Community College, told the Legislative Health & Human Services Committee the college has added a Licensed Substance Abuse Associate (LSAA) pathway and maintains short allied‑health courses such as certified nursing assistant (CNA) and emergency medical technician (EMT) to meet local workforce needs.

Linder said the LSAA credential allows graduates with an approved associate degree to reduce clinical hours and enter the workforce more quickly. "If you actually get an associate's degree in an approved, degree program, then what that means is that you don't have to do as many clinical hours," she told the committee, describing how the AAS allied health plus two substance‑abuse classes can put students on an LSAA track.

Why it matters: Presenters said the LSAA helps populate rural and community treatment programs — including an upcoming local residential substance‑use treatment center — with entry‑level counselors who can provide one‑on‑one and group process services under clinical supervision. Linder described partnerships and transfer pathways with regional four‑year institutions for students who seek social work and counseling degrees after the associate level.

Programs and capacity: Linder outlined other offerings at Luna: a CNA course (typically three to four weeks of instruction plus supervised clinical time), an EMT‑Basic program offered with UNM’s EMS Academy, and a community health worker pathway. She said the college has struggled to recruit instructors for some programs but highlighted credit‑bearing technician pathways and local employer partnerships that hire graduates.

Mobile training lab setback: Linder described a planned mobile training lab intended to deliver CNA, dental assisting and other short allied‑health training across the region. The college received approximately $225,000 in state funding, but supply‑chain delays prevented delivery of the vehicle chassis; a purchase order dated May 2022 stalled when the chassis could not be acquired and the vendor pushed delivery into the following year. Linder said pandemic procurement problems led to repeated delays and that the college is seeking to complete the project now that funds were reauthorized.

Local partnerships and student pipelines: Committee members praised Luna’s role in producing local nurses and allied‑health staff and discussed opportunities to expand dual‑enrollment pathways for high‑school students, integrated education‑workforce programs and regional training rotations. Linder and program leaders said the college has placed graduates in local hospitals, clinics and treatment centers and is working with partners to improve credit transfer and four‑year degree progression.

Ending: Linder asked lawmakers to consider continued support for community‑college allied‑health training and to help address instructor shortages and procurement delays for mobile training infrastructure. Committee members thanked Luna staff and said they would look for ways to strengthen pipeline funding and regional training supports.