SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) - A new report says the rate of emergency room visits in southeastern New Mexico is significantly higher than the state as a whole, while the rate of visits in the Albuquerque area is lower.
The New Mexico Department of Health report evaluated over 812,000 emergency department visits at non-federal hospitals, finding a total statewide rate of 3,901 visits per 10,000 people.
The rate in the southeastern region consisting of Quay, De Baca, Curry, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Chaves, Eddy, and Lea counties was 4,903 visits, while the region consisting of Bernalillo, Sandoval, Torrance, and Valencia counties had a rate of 3,477 visits.
The department attributes the different rates partly to respiratory system diseases and to injury, poisonings and “certain other medical issues being more common in the southeastern part of the state.”
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