A Senate Rules subcommittee voted to advance Gina de Blasio’s nomination to be secretary of the New Mexico Department of Health to the full Senate by a recorded nine-to-none subcommittee vote.

Gina de Blasio, the governor’s health policy adviser and interim Department of Health secretary, described more than 30 years in health care administration, including work running a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) provider and managing multi-state operations with budgets she described as "approximately $400,000,000." De Blasio said her immediate priorities would include strengthening the seven long-term care facilities the department operates, increasing census, improving quality and focusing on revenue cycle management.

Supporters included Michael Richards, executive vice president of the UNM Health Sciences Center, and Carrie Armijo, secretary of the Health Care Authority; both offered strong endorsements on her leadership and experience. Janice Torres, president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico, also testified in support.

De Blasio told senators the department has been active in recent public health responses, noting the Department of Health’s work on a measles outbreak in eastern New Mexico and early action on hantavirus investigations in Santa Fe. "Since the outbreak, there have been over 9,000 vaccines that have been administered across the state," she said, adding the epidemiology team’s contact tracing work and that there were about "33 cases in Eastern New Mexico" tied to the outbreak through case investigations and contact tracing.

Lawmakers questioned De Blasio on rural hospital stressors, behavioral health and long-standing workforce shortages. She described the Health Care Delivery and Access Act, passed last year, which established a hospital assessment program designed to direct more federal matching funds to rural hospitals and said the statute requires at least 75% of funds to be used for local operations and workforce; she said she would review reporting for the remaining 25% and would "be happy to look at" additional transparency measures.

Senators also pressed De Blasio on coordination with the Health Care Authority and with the Children, Youth and Families Department on a program to support substance-exposed newborns. "It's gonna take not just CYFD and the Department of Health to work closely together, but also the Health Care Authority, and Early Childhood and Education Department as well," she said.

Sen. Stebbex moved to advance the nomination; a roll-call-style confirmation by the subcommittee recorded nine votes in favor. The chair announced that De Blasio would move to a full Senate confirmation later the same day.

What was recorded: De Blasio said she has served in the Department of Health in an interim capacity since Nov. 1 (stated in testimony), emphasized priorities for department-operated facilities and public-health offices statewide, and described interagency work on behavioral health, rural-hospital support, and vaccination and outbreak response. Supporters from UNM and the Health Care Authority testified to her leadership and operational experience.

Next steps: The subcommittee advanced the nomination to the full Senate for confirmation; the subcommittee did not take a final floor confirmation vote.