medical care, humidity, cost, el paso vs. las cruces (Dallas: low income, section 8)

[localinsight]

Hi all. I've been reading posts here, on other forums, comparing living costs, reading about life issues in online newspapers for quite some time. Now I really need help from locals. I am a 45 year old disabled woman living in MN since 2/06. I moved here from the San Bernardino, CA area (1/2 between LA and Palm Spring). It was a move of necessity - cost and medical care mainly. MN isn't working out in many ways.

I am from Boston and would love to move back for family reasons but my experience in MN tells me I must live in a dry climate, even w/appropriate medical care (prior diagnosis Lupus/atypical arthritis in MN was "undiagnosed"), dampness would require too much medication. So, fixed income, dry climate, savings drain from the move to MN, and single led me to consider El Paso, Las Cruces, Albequeque and Vegas (I have good friends in Vegas although not to live with). Vegas is high cost already and already running out of land, sounds like CA. Plus really hot. Temp. extremes aren't good for me but the worst is humidity. It seemed like El Paso was my #1. I do plan to visit but $ is tight.
In So. Cal., It was pretty brwn and ugly. I lived in Mexicali for a month and visited often. Accustomed to "manana", actually like it as long as I am accepted. I do not speak spanish, studied it but the heat was so bad (117) I wound up speaking enligh with Mexican accent. I found the Mexicans very accepting - on our side of the border, too. More so than Californians. Yes, I was ripped off and scammed a few times, a bit of a sucker, but no more $ anyways. I was in graduate school for binational studies and found that arrogance I have read about in some of these posts among people working in cross border affairs and in academia, wanting to protect their piece of some pie. But I had to give up those aspirations so I don't run into them.

I find way more arrogance here in MN for some reason. Lots of MD and Lawyers, not good. They aren't helpful to the lower class, execpt in official charity work-

Returning to the point, I don't mind people speaking a language I don't understand, as long as they help me when I need it - and I do ask. I do attempt Spanish which was appreciated. I appreciate the Mexican value of family and agree that perhaps that is why violent crime is lower in El Paso.

I am concerned about a few things as I have been researching. I appreciate positive and negative type responses. I will mention other places from specific posts elsewhere and appreciate feedback as well. Please keep in mind CA is not an option. I left due to cost and the condos my neighbors and I were renting were sold for over 200,000, sight unseen, except the section 8, for which I dont qualify.

1. A friend in MN has family in El Paso, knows I cannot live here any more but warns me that her family tells her El Paso is unsafe. I realize it is a border city. I lived in a "ghetto-ish" complex in CA and it was scary. I wouldn't want to live like that again. El Paso seems more affordable than Las Cruces, ALB, but is it? Is this merely a reflection of the mathematical average cost or can I find safe housing with good A/C NOT SWAMP COOLER in El Paso? I sold my car to come here. I will have to buy another.... is the higher auto insurance figured into these costs. It sounds like I would have to rent (buying not an option) w/garage, we had lots of chop shops in CA too... people in the next town just didn't know it.

Where I lived in CA we had a "racial incident" and I discovered how many people had guns. I scared me that so many unregistered people had guns and that I didn't . Are these things a concern in EP?

2. In other Texas forums Midland, for ex., is defined as having 25% humidity. So does EP. This seems high and makes me consider NM, but my point here is that someone wrote in saying how horrible the medical care is in EP - his wife was a medical resident- mentioned border medicine. Advised Midland.
Other posts advised Lubbock for Medical, same humidity. If Texas is cheaper than NM (strange, it seems like people have negative opinions of NM) and these areas have similar or better weather than EP, why do "lists" (other internet sites) consistently indicate that EP has the best weather, lowest humidity, best to retire?


An internist in CA finally told me that outside of the major hub (LA, Anaheim, etc.) we had only "meat and potatoes medicine" and that I needed to get to a major medical center for treatment. I had gone undiagnosed and housebound, in much pain, until medicare workers told me to get out of managed care. When I did, it was a new world but I had to see several doctors and couldnot travel to them all due to illness. Things had gotten too out of hand (see Sicko, CA section). I need better care than CA HMO (disabled people with chronic pain, inflammation, being ill, cost $, they will find a reason to not treat, unethical though it is, appeals are useless, Medicare cannot help). Big research centers may not be the answer if they are not interested in your particular case, unless they can do expensive procedures, or a quick fix or releated to MD or administrator.

Really, I need some good doctors in private practice. So far I have good insurance. The medical school coming is no great news for me, I foundin MN researchers have little flexibility or interest outside their research. the result, for me is like I am once again in an HMO system - no private practive in MN. Any one have experience in EP? In MN the Big Time MDs didn't even request my medical records from CA.
Private Practice is the key. That is my experience, almost without exeception, to the point that MDs in HMOs that do care and treat by patient need more than standard code if need to are forced out.
I am concerned w/the talk about qualifed people not settling in El Paso, leaving, and those there being insecure so don't want to go on advice of others.

I wonder why no one has raised this question to this forum since EP is rated as one of the #1 places to retire. Perhaps not in this detail, but conern with care outside the HMO system yet not so fancy at a medical school that reputations are perceived to be at stake.... It seems relevant.

I was wondering if I actually need to call a friend in CA and ask to stay for 6 mo. or so to set up with 1-2 MDs there before relocating agian. My health is so compromised again and medical records are so messed up with this documentation/lack of care in MN. It would be very difficult cost wise, car wise, etc. but If it smooths a transition, it may be worth it.

Should I forget EP interms of the medical, was this person right about low quality? Would Midland, Lubbock, Abilene be better?

3. How much less humid is Las cruces than EP? Would it really matter? In one cost of living index I found, Las Cruces was rated as higher cost of living than ABQ. Any comments? Same source also listed ABQ higher than Vegas, not what I found on infoplease.com.
Does anyone know what the medical facilities in LC are like relative to EP? I haven't found a way to tell from my internet research. Just people smiling.

4. Liking dry climates, I looked in ABQ. I liked the fact that NM seems to have concerns for health care quality (and knows that it is an issue). However, the size of ABQ is daunting to me, a disabled person. Even if I loved it, I would have to move to a huge city, buy a car, get a doctor, find and apartment, all without medical care.... Remember, I lived 60 miles east of L.A. and in the same 20 mi. radius for 22 years. I would need lots of good advice. More than where to go for dinner, forget night life! But seriously, the dry climate (8%) appeals to me but the cold weather does not. Don't say, she's from MN, that's not fair. I learned that below freezing isn't fun.

5. It sounds like I am back to LC, EP, Midland, Lubbock (although these others I just considered after reading more in the Texas forum). It is unfortunate that EP doesn't get much respect.... In CA I lived in a very conservative area, ultra conservative in MN, both supposedly liberal states but there isn't a big price to pay in terms of not being funded by the state, etc.

6. A final concern, although I have no problem beingin the minority, I am concerned about border violence stemming from the crackdown on not just illegal immigrants but the way federal officials are rounding them up, even here in MN. Civil Rights are non existent. Does anyone see this leading to escalating tensions, regardless of personal feelings?


Thanks, y'all for listening to my woes. It is time for me to finish unpacking so I can throw stuff out to get out of this humid terarrium...although it is beautiful. People are nice in a "MN nice way". Check out that forum under the thread about a gay couple wanting to raise kids in MN for a definition of MN nice. After living on the east, west costs, it is good to live in the middle. Here is the land of extremes, great people, callous people - more than LA.

Any other suggestions welcome, other than bloom where you are planted.

[localinsight]

Hi everyone.

Sorry about the verbose post. I edited it, but only after I submited it. Sorry. First Post. I'll be more careful if there is a next time:

[NicoleJ]

I'll admit I didn't read the whole thing, but I did peruse it. El Paso is extremely safe - one of the safest cities in the U.S. I feel extremely comfortable w/ my kids playing out in front.

Apartment buildings here in El Paso almost always have refrigerated air. Only a very few have swamp coolers.

Medical care here is just fine. It's not Johns Hopkins or anything, but there's nothing wrong w/ it. The doctors are all very competent. As are the dentists.

Also, Las Cruces is only 40 miles away and basically has the same weather. It's only humid here AFTER a rain storm and never lasts longer than a few hours.

[holmes]

I would agree with nrkelly. El Paso sounds like it might be a good fit for you. The medical community is only getting stronger what with the new medical school. The weather is great -- low humidity. Cost of living -- one of the best in the nation.

[KimK]

The only thing I can see wrong with your plan about moving to El Paso is medical care. I disagree that we have good medical care. We do not in my opinion. First, we have too few doctors for the population so it breaks down like six gastroenterologists (sp) for a city of one million. Not good. Also, we are good a border medicine like diabetes but not for your problems. An alternative to keep in mind is that Phoenix has the Mayo Clinic. Phoenix is about an eight hour drive from here. If you have no insurance or poor insurance you are going to get raked over on medical costs. You would think that paying out of your pocket would get you some deal. That has not been my experience. Also, for specialists you have to wait days to get appointments and hours in their waiting rooms. Think carefully about that issue if you move here as that seems to be a big issue for you. It is my real concern and I am a healthy person. Also, don't let folks tell you that the medical school that is expaning here is going to be our panacea. It will take years for that process to kick in fully and help our community. Good luck to you.

[lipbalm]

If you have little to no taxable income then I would suggest going with las cruces since their property taxes are way lower.

[leavingsoon]

Well, since you have somewhat of a dislike for lawyers, I don't know if you'll want to hear my advice but here goes... my father had a stroke a week ago, he had just retired 3 weeks ago from working in one of the hospitals here in town (Providence). I took him there and I just spent my weekend and Monday yelling at completely incompetant nurses and CNA's. They treated my father like crap- from not answering the call button repeatedly to taking 10 hours to complete orders. I am a lawyer and I had the AOD, the nurse manager and the VP of the hospital in the room both Saturday and Sunday nights. They reamed out a CNA and sent her home Saturday night, one would think that people would learn from that. However, I had to go back in last night because my father calls me and tells me that the nurse did not speak English, told him he should speak Spanish, and then would not get him things that he asked for and when she finally got some icebags for his knees after several hours, she came in and literally threw them at him. Finally, I had one of his doctors sign an order to get him discharged and I'm flying him to Dallas to complete his treatment.

I worked at one time in the medical field here and I left and went to law school because, in general, I found most people in the field from nurse down tend to be incompetant, uncaring people who I have no idea why they got into the profession in the first place. My father worked in this hospital for nearly 20 years and his lawyer(me) was in there on the phone calling the administration to get them in his room, yet I still had problems repeatedly and the AOD admitted that there was a problem on the floor with training and staffing. At this point I am a hair's breadth away from filing suit.

Unfortunately, I worked around at a number of hospitals here and found the same attitudes (as well as other cities too, so it is not just El Paso). If medical care is a high priority, I would recommend anywhere but El Paso or Las Cruces. I completely agree with the other poster about problems getting appointments and waiting for half a day in the office- that has happened to me all the time as well.

I have lived in Lubbock and found UMC to be a better hospital than any of the ones in El Paso, but the city is somewhat small and isolated, but I enjoyed my time there. There is also a lot of new construction (houses, major malls, etc...) So I would actually recommend Lubbock over El Paso, if you are ok with it being that small.

I find it strange that you find the population of ALB daunting yet you are interested in El Paso, which is larger.

Anyway, my 2 cents, obviously I'm not real happy with the medical situation here right now.

[Logan]

The problem with the medical care is that there is a lack of qualified staff everywhere and not just in EL Paso. Many Hosptals seem to regard CNA staff and Nursing Staff as unnecessary expensives and seem to hire the less qualified and the least expensive they can find. Why do you think they use to hire so many Foreign Visa Nurses ( They are Cheaper to Pay). I had my frail incapacitated Mom in the hospital a few months ago and I had to shower her and change her bed linen because there was not enough staff available. I even had to set up her meal tray because the staff didnt even have the time to get it off the Meal Tray Holder which was just left outside in the Hallway. I pity those patients who didnt have any relatives to help them.

[clashman]

Here is my two cents. I went to college in Cruces and grew up in El Paso.

1. Housing prices are more expensive and you will have less options in Cruces.
2. Crime is a little worse in Cruces.
3. Culture is very different believe it or not. Cruces is a college town mixed with low income and retired people with money. Job opportunities are bad in Cruces. Most people work in El Paso or White Sands. New Mexico is a little on the hippie side, El Paso is not.
4. More people speak English in Cruces.
5. For the most part they are both great places to live.......except for the economy.

[leavingsoon]

Originally Posted by Logan

The problem with the medical care is that there is a lack of qualified staff everywhere and not just in EL Paso. Many Hosptals seem to regard CNA staff and Nursing Staff as unnecessary expensives and seem to hire the less qualified and the least expensive they can find. Why do you think they use to hire so many Foreign Visa Nurses ( They are Cheaper to Pay). I had my frail incapacitated Mom in the hospital a few months ago and I had to shower her and change her bed linen because there was not enough staff available. I even had to set up her meal tray because the staff didnt even have the time to get it off the Meal Tray Holder which was just left outside in the Hallway. I pity those patients who didnt have any relatives to help them.

Absolutely agree and I was doing a lot of the same stuff for my father while he was there.

To the original poster- of the cities that you have asked about, I would recommend Lubbock of the bunch. If you are not worried about a job, Lubbock offers more being a smaller town, it is very, very easy to find your way around in, it has good medical facilities, there is a ton of new building, with several retirement villages with a bunch of different offerings (my parents were looking at a couple of those) and the people in Lubbock have been the nicest of the places that I have lived- very friendly and open in general and helpful. There are not the same things that you would worry about in El Paso- the border, Spanish, swamp coolers, etc... The only downside is that it is isolated (but still closer to DFW than El Paso) and it can be more humid than El Paso but it is not as bad as the other major cities in Texas.