“The Board of Directors heard the call of so many people who have found themselves in the vulnerable position of addiction and created a new goal: To ensure that the residents of New Mexico have access to recovery treatment and support for alcohol and drug addiction in order to reach the sobriety necessary to sustain mental health, physical health, and spiritual growth so they may achieve income, housing, and food security.” – Allen Sánchez, President and Mission Leader of CommonSpirit St. Joseph’s Children

In Episode 1 of Century Lives Season 4: A Lifetime of Inequality, we visit Albuquerque, New Mexico, and interview Allen Sánchez, President of CommonSpirit St. Joseph’s Children, to explore the impact of early childhood education on lifelong health. The story looks at the impact of high quality early childhood education on health, and then follows the 12-year effort to pass …

By Phill Casaus  Nov 12, 2022 All great insurgencies have their moments of doubt, uncertainty, defeat. Undeterred, they continue and endure — wiping away dust and blood and disappointment and derision. And just when they seem extinguished, stamped out like a Marlboro beneath a boot heel, they come back for more. Think Continental Army at Valley Forge. Think Rocky Balboa …

By John Lavenburg Nov 11, 2022 National Correspondent NEW YORK – For Archbishop John Wester of Santa Fe the passage of a state constitutional amendment to create a permanent fund for early childhood education was a long time coming. It’s something New Mexico’s bishops have endorsed for more than a decade. “Today, New Mexico sees a brighter future because of …

By Dan McKay / Journal Staff Writer Aug 23, 2022 SANTA FE – A home visiting program that educates new parents about how to promote their baby’s healthy development has shown promising early results, according to researchers at the University of New Mexico. In a randomized study, year-old children whose parents participate in a program offered by CHI St. Joseph’s …

Bryce Covert Public Policy Nov 9, 2022 Yesterday, New Mexico voters made history: they overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment that makes theirs the first state to guarantee a right to early childhood education while directing substantial, steady funding to child care and early education. Seventy percent of voters approved Amendment 1, which will devote a portion of money in the state’s …

By Nathan Lederman Nov 8, 2022 Allen Sánchez waited about a decade for New Mexico to put increased funding for early childhood education on the ballot. All those years of waiting appeared to have paid off Tuesday. Constitutional Amendment 1 was headed to passage — it had about 70 percent support through much of the evening — and now makes …