SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) State health officials are partnering with WebMD on a message system aimed at quickly getting out public health alerts to doctors, nurses and pharmacists across New Mexico. Health Secretary Retta Ward says the outbreak of Hepatitis A cases weeks ago demonstrates that the ability to instantly community with medical providers is critical. She says providers were able to vaccinate dozens of patients to prevent the disease from spreading.
The state Health Department is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national Health Alert Network. The network releases vital health information to local health departments, hospitals and public health partners.
The Health Department will now supply WebMD's Medscape with the information to email to its network of registered clinical members throughout New Mexico.
