By: Dr. Samuel Swift

As an assistant professor teaching public health, I begin every class by asking my students what they believe is the biggest public health problem in New Mexico. Semester after semester, the most common answer I get is “poverty.” Our students know intuitively what over a century of epidemiological research has shown, which is that wealth creates health. New Mexicans who have more educational and economic opportunities live longer lives, are more able to avoid preventable diseases, and contribute more to our community. Unfortunately, many of our young adults know hardship from lived experience. In 2022 the New Mexico Higher Education Department conducted a survey to study the basic needs of our two- and four-year college students statewide, and found that within NM, the majority (58%) of NM college students are unable to afford or access healthy food due to financial insecurity, with this number being substantially higher at two-year and tribal colleges. How can we expect young adults to gain an education and begin their lives, when their financial situation is such that they cannot afford food to eat?

By setting aside money that young New Mexicans can access when pursuing an education, buying a home, or starting a business, the NM Baby Bonds (SB 397) makes a lasting investment at a crucial time in life. Given the well-established epidemiological relationship between wealth and health, this investment may prevent a lifetime of disease and suffering for the next generation of New Mexicans.

New Mexico is consistently among the states suffering many of worst health outcomes in the US. Like New Mexico, states with poor health outcomes are almost always the same states suffering the most severe poverty. For decades, New Mexico has ranked high on lists of troubling economic and public health statistics, often leading in causes of premature death. In 2023, New Mexico was in the top five states for diabetes and firearm death rates, and in the top 10 states for drug overdose deaths. Worst of all, in 2023 New Mexico remained the national leader in alcohol related death. The human cost of the lives we lose prematurely to these causes is incalculable. While these diseases have different pathophysiology, and strike at different times in life, a commonality is that all of these diseases are strongly associated with poverty and a lack of economic opportunity. This relationship is not new science, nor is it scientifically controversial. There is an enormous body of research that shows that persons who have access to financial opportunity and higher education early in life use fewer drugs, drink less alcohol, commit fewer crimes, eat healthier, exercise more, and live longer. Intuitively, we do not need scientific data to understand this relationship. These troubling statistics are often made up of our friends, family members, classmates, and neighbors. However, it does not have to be this way—a more prosperous, healthier New Mexico is possible.

I applaud our leaders for championing the critical policy that is the NM Baby Bonds (SB 397). I believe this policy is a sound investment in the health and well-being of all New Mexicans for generations to come. I was raised and educated in New Mexico, and I am now raising a child of my own here. I support this policy because I know that New Mexico can be a prosperous, healthy place. Given the challenges we face, we have no other choice but to fight for a better future for the next generation.

What I have written here is exclusively my own professional opinion, and does not represent the position of my employer, colleagues, or any affiliated scientific organization.

Dr. Samuel Swift, MPH, PhD is an epidemiologist with experience in applied epidemiology, academic research, peer-reviewed research, and community work. Dr. Swift works as an assistant professor at the University of New Mexico College of Population Health.