Sign-On Letter: Supports Not Separation 

December 11, 2025

OVERVIEW

In July 2025, Governor Grisham issued a directive requiring hospitals to place infants under a mandatory 72-hour hold if the infant was born exposed to substance. This directive unleashed chaos and confusion across the New Mexico health care system as the directive was unclear and had no implementation guidelines. It is also in opposition to existing New Mexico child welfare policies and practice. Advocates in New Mexico are concerned for families and patients. This sign on letter expresses deep concern about the directive noting that while it may be well-intentioned it undermines the cornerstone of effective health care: trust between patient and provider. 

SIGN-ON LETTER

Health care providers dedicate our lives to the wellbeing of families and communities. We have deep concerns about policy directives and proposals that mandate the separation of newborns from their families at birth. These policies undermine the foundation of effective health care: trust between patients and providers.

This summer New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham directed that all newborns exposed to alcohol and drugs be separated from their parents and held in the custody of the deeply overwhelmed New Mexico Children Youth and Families Department (NM CYFD), with no exceptions. 

This mandate is dangerous and unlawful. These directives undermine state law designed to provide support and resources to families when they show up for health care. These directives also break both state and federal laws that are supposed to keep Native children with their communities. 

When patients—especially pregnant or postpartum parents—fear that being honest with their provider could result in investigation and loss of their child, they are less likely to seek care. This can quickly spiral into poor behavioral health outcomes, as well as dangerous untreated physical health problems for babies and parents. Directives like this turn medical settings into environments where patients are punished rather than cared for, and ultimately keep people from accessing the care they and their newborns need. 

Substance use during pregnancy is complex. It often intersects with trauma, poverty, mental health conditions, and barriers to care. Addressing perinatal substance use requires trust-based conversations and patient-centered treatment—not criminalization. When providers are required to separate parents from their newborns, the system is undermining medical best practices and a provider’s ethical obligation to act in the best interest of their patients. 

The consequences of broken patient-provider trust are not theoretical. New Mexico’s maternal mortality rate is 1.5 times higher than the rest of the country. We cannot afford to make childbirth more dangerous. 

Involvement with child welfare systems—even if temporary—can traumatize families and interrupt practices, like breastfeeding, that improve overall infant outcomes. Separations can cause newborns, children and their parents lifelong emotional and developmental harm. Unwarranted removals disproportionately impact Indigenous, Black, Latine, and low-income families, further exacerbating existing inequities in perinatal and infant health outcomes. Listening to patients in a trusting partnership, with patient centered evidence-based care is the way to improve outcomes, not “one size fits no one” family removals. As providers it is our obligation to always consider the safety of our patients, including newborns. These directives take away our capacity to treat the unique needs of each family in our care. 

Earlier this year the New Mexico Legislature passed SB 42, a bipartisan approach that updated child welfare policies relating to substance use and pregnancy. It’s time to put down the harmful separation directives and instead implement New Mexico’s SB 42 with integrity; this is a critical step that demonstrates our commitments to care for families.

We can acknowledge the complexities of these situations and together build accountable state responses that center the lived expertise of families that best understand these circumstances. Together we must build out access to detox and recovery beds available as soon as someone is ready and asking for support. We must create programs where parents can access treatment, while bringing little ones along and having somewhere to call home. Addiction is a health care issue and it should be treated as such—with compassion, dignity, and evidence-based practices.

In solidarity,

Abigail Reese, CNM
Aine Brazil, MPP
Aissa Chavez Steiner, MD
Amity Calvin, MD
Ana-Alicia Leonso, MD
Andriana Sethre, FNP
Anjali Taneja, MD MPH
Ann Berkley Rodgers, J.D.
Anna Nelson, PhD LCSW
Anna Phillips, M. Ed.
Anna Vendrely, LCSW
Anthony Fleg, MD MPH
Brenda Quinonez Cortes, LCSW
Brian Serna, LPCC LADAC
Bryce Pittenger, LPCC
Carolina Nkouaga, MPH LM CPM
Catherine Warriner, LMFT-S
Cecilia Lorraine Cordova, RN NP
Chavonne McClay, LCSW
Chris Lombardo, LPCC LPC CEOLD
Christina Cruz, PsyD
Claire Bettler, CNM
Clare Guerreiro, LCSW
Cynthia Chavers, LMSW
Daniel Blackwood, LPCC
David Lente, LADAC
David Rogers, Ed. S. Educational/ Organizational Leadership
Donalyn Lorenzo, LMSW
Dorothy Kaeck, LM CPM
Eirena Begay, Full spectrum Indigenous Doula
Elizabeth Beers, RN
Elizabeth Bennett, MSW MPH
Elizabeth Cassidy, CPM LM
Emily Cohen, MD
Eyndia Omega, CPM LM
Glenna Marcus, LM CPM
Heather Rische, LM CPM (retired)
Isabel Guerrero, BA
Jacqueline Yalch, MSW
Jania Sommers, MSW LCSW
Jess Gutfreund, LM CPM MSM IBCLC
Jules Maxwell, Doula
Kathleen Rojas, CD
Kaycee Hinckley, MOTR/L
Kee J.E. Straits, PhD
Kim Nguyen, MD
Laura Woodring, LPCC
Leigh Durham, LCSW
Lonna Valdez, MSW
Louise Kahn, RN, Retired PNP
Magdalena Karlick, ATR-BC LPCC
Maria Cardenas, CNP
Melissa Rose, Midwife
Mikaela Epaloose, MSW
Miriam McQuade, MD MPH
New Mexico ACNM Affiliate
Newt Russell, LMSW
Nicole Yonke, MD MPH
Nicolle Arthun, RN CNM
Nomi Green, LPCC
Nona Girardi, MD MS FAAFP
Olivia Thornton, MD MPH
Patricia Shure, LCSW
Reyna Rivera, LCSW
Rhayna Walizer, LCSW
Rhonda Albin, LCSW
Sally Maxwell, Doula CLC
Sandra Spurlock, LMFT
Savanah Low, LMSW
Shanna Diaz, DO
Shauna Bearman, LCSW
Sindy Bolaños-Sacoman, MPH
Stephanie Murillo, LM CPM
Susan Muraida, MD
Vanya Garabedian, LCSW
Vicki Vessier, CBPA (certified birth and postpartum attendant)
Victoria Romero, LCSW
Zoe Unruh, RN
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Abigail Plawman, MD FASAM FAAF
Abigail Wilpers, RN PhD
Alecia Fields, DO
Alena Hoover, MD
Allison Jimenez, LMHC NCC CAP
Amelia Baker, MD PhD IBCLC
Amina Chaudhry, MD MPH
Amy Bryant, MD MSCR
Andrew Pastor, MD AAHIVS
Aniesa Slack, MD
Ariel White, MD
Armide Storey, MD
Arthur Ollendorff, MD
Ashley Jeanlus, MD
Aubree Abrams, RN
Avanthi Jayaweera, MD
Bhaskari Burra, MD
Bonnie Miller, MSN RN
Caitlin Martin, MD MPH FACOG FASAM
Caitlin Weber, MD MS IBCLC FAAFP
Camila Arnaudo, MD
Carolina Burgos, MD
Carrie Pierce, MD
Catherine Romanos, MD
Cecily May Barber, MD MPH
Chelsea Crabtree, DO
Chelsea Romero, MD MPH
Christian Kaufman, WHNP-C/ AGPCNP-BC
Christine Gold, MD
Corey Walsh, MD
Cresta Jones, MD
Daisy Goodman, DNP MPH CNM CARN-AP
Danielle Gershon, MD
Danielle Johnson, DO
Debra Newman, PA-C MSPAS MPH
Dennis Hand, PhD
Devki Joshi, MD
Diana Coffa, MD
Diana McKinnon, MD
Diane Horvath, MD MPH FACOG
Divya Shenoy, MD MPH
Elisabeth Sulger, MD
Elizabeth Barrera, DO MPH
Elizabeth Harper, Md
Elizabeth HollandBerry, MD MPH
Ellen Joyce, MD
Emma Richardson, MD
Erinma Ukoha, MD MPH
Ezra Lyon, MD FASAM
Frances Enger, MD MPH
Gianna Le, MD
Glenna Martin, MD MPH
Hayley Dunlop, MD MPH
Heather Howard, PhD LCSW
Heather Jackson, MA MPH LMHC/ LCMHC/LPC/LCPC
Helen Joan Waitkevicz, MD
Hema Pingali, MD
Hendree Jones, LP. PhD
Jacqueline Cruz Rodriguez, DEM CM
Jan Widerman, DO FACOP FAAP DFASAM FAOAAM
Janelle Lee, MD
Jasmin Charles, PA-C
Jen Wells, MD
Jenna Nakagawa, MD MPH
Jennifer Bello Kottenstette, MD
Jennifer Tang, MD MSCR
Jim Walsh, MD
Jocelyn Wu, MD
Johana Oviedo, MD MPH
Julie Amaon, MD
Kaitlynn Ebisutani, MD
Kalie Owen, LCSW CSAC
Karina Sanders, MD
Katherine Lee, MD
Keemi Ereme, MD MPH
Kelley Butler, MD MPH
Kelly Bell, PhD RN IBCLC FAWHONN FAAN
Kelly McGlothen-Bell, PhD RN IBCLC FAWHONN FAAN
Kelly Pfeifer, MD
Kelsey Ryan, MD
Kime McClintock, MD MPH
Kris Sparagna, MD
Kristin Prewitt, MD MPH
Kristyn Brandi, MD MPH FACOG
La-Tisha Frazier, MD MSN
Laura Manns-James, PhD APRN CNM WHNP-BC
Lauren Owens, MD MPH
Layla Archuleta, CSW MSW
Leah Heindel, MD
Leah Torres, MD MS
Leilah Zahedi-Spung, MD
Libby Wetterer, MD
Lindsay Nagatani-Short, MD MPH
Loretta Finnegan, MD
Louisa Howard, MD
Lucinda Grande, MD
Mackenzie Bennett, MD MPH
Maetal HK, MD
Marcela Smid, MD
Mardge Cohen, MD
Marguerite Bartholomew, MD
Marjorie Meyer, MD
Mark Eisenberg, MD
Matthew Hing, MD-PhD Candidate
Maureen Paul, MD, MPH
Megan Masten, MD
Meghan Goddard, MD
Melinda Ramage, FNP-BC LCAS
Michael Belmonte, MD
Michaela McCuddy, MD
Mira Kautzky, MD
Mishka Terplan, MD MPH
Molly McShane, CNM WHNP-BC
Nancy Burke, PhD ABPP
Nancy Manglallan-Yang, MD
Natalie DiCenzo, MD
Natalie Gladstein, MD
Nicole Dixon, LCMHC
Noora Siddiqui, MD
Noria McCarther, MD
Olivia Sanchez, MD MPH
Pallabi Guha, MD
Rachel Reed, DO MPH
Raquel Carbone, LCSW
Rebecca Hatton, PsyD Licensed Psychologist
Rebecca Pollack, MD
Rosalie Genova, LCPC CCS
Rose Al Abosy, MD
Shandra Benito, LSW
Shelly Tien, MD MPH
Sheryl Cherian, MD
Simone Vais, MD
Sreevalli Atlur, MD
Stacy De-Lin, MD
Stephanie Rand, MD
Susan Alberto, MD
Suzanne Poppema, MD
Sylvia Stratford, RN PHN
Tara Ahmadi, MD MPH
Tricia Wright, MD MS
Vania Rudolf, MD MPH
Victoria Ngo, MD
Victoria Williams, DHA LMSW
Viktoria Koskenoja, MD
Wendy Smith, MD MPH
Ximena Levander, MD MCR
Ying Zhang, MD
Zoë Lucier-Julian, MD MPH
Zoe Taylor, MD

Names in bold denote New Mexico signers.