The House Health and Human Services Committee voted to advance House Bill 407, which would appropriate $300,000 from the general fund to the Department of Health to update training and education materials aimed at preventing shaken baby syndrome (abusive head trauma) and to support statewide outreach.

Representative Thompson introduced the bill as a modest appropriation to support DOH-led prevention work that stakeholders said had not been updated since materials were originally developed nearly a decade ago. Supporters included infant-injury-prevention consultants, pediatricians, nurses and advocacy groups. Desiree Torres, who participated in the UNM Shaken Baby Syndrome prevention program that produced materials used by hospitals statewide, told the committee that without funding the materials are aging and parents may perceive the problem as out-of-date. Pediatrician Christopher Torres and Deborah Walker of the New Mexico Nurses Association urged the committee to fund the updates and training.

Witnesses noted Senate Bill 21 (2017) established DOH oversight of the statewide education model but that no sustained funding had been provided to update materials or expand outreach. Supporters also said updated materials and outreach could help clinicians, hospitals and early-childhood programs reduce incidents of abusive head trauma.

Representative Anaya moved to advance the bill and Representative Eleanor Chavez seconded; the committee announced a do-pass result of 8-0. Committee members and witnesses suggested schools and health classes could also be venues for preventive education, and that stable funding would be more effective than one-time appropriations.