A. In order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people in the state during a public health emergency, the secretary of health, in coordination with the secretary of public safety and the director, may:

(1) utilize, secure or evacuate health care facilities for public use; and

(2) inspect, regulate or ration health care supplies as provided in Subsection B of this section.

B. If a public health emergency results in a statewide or regional shortage of health care supplies, the secretary of health may control, restrict and regulate the allocation, sale, dispensing or distribution of health care supplies.

C. The state medical investigator, after consultation with the secretary of health, the secretary of public safety, the director and the chair of the board of funeral services, may implement and enforce measures to provide for the safe disposal of human remains that may be reasonable and necessary to respond to a public health emergency. The measures may include special provisions for embalming, burial, cremation, interment, disinterment, transportation and disposal of human remains. To the extent possible, the religious, cultural, family and individual beliefs of a deceased person or of the family of a deceased person shall be considered when disposing of human remains.

History: Laws 2003, ch. 218, § 6; 2012, ch. 48, § 1.

Compiler's notes. — This section was enacted by the legislature as part of Chapter 12, Article 10 NMSA 1978, but it was assigned to Article 10A by the compiler to separate it from the State Civil Emergency Preparedness Act.

The 2012 amendment, effective July 1, 2012, changed the name of the board of thanatopractice to the board of funeral services and in Subsection C, in the first sentence, after "chair of the board of", deleted "thanatopractice" and added "funeral services".