$18 million granted to eleven rural health care organizations

SANTA FE – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced Tuesday the selection of 11 rural health care providers to receive the first tranche of funding through the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund. The governor and Legislature secured $80 million for the priority initiative in the last legislative session.

“Living in a rural area shouldn’t be a deciding factor for the level of health care New Mexicans receive,” said Gov. Lujan Grisham. “It is a number one priority of this administration to take whatever actions are necessary to build up and support health care providers. Taking a significant portion of the financial burden off of rural providers to expand access will have a real impact on the lives and health of New Mexicans.”

Grant agreements with the remaining recipients of the $80 million are in the final stages of approval and will be announced in November.

This initiative, championed by Gov. Lujan Grisham, will provide crucial funding to rural health care providers, enabling them to offer new and expanded services in their communities. The awardees include services for maternal health care including OB/GYNs, behavioral health and primary care.

The initial recipients are:

• Covenant Health Hobbs: Expanding labor and delivery, pre-and post-natal care, and maternal health in Lea and Eddy Counties.
• El Centro Family Health: Start-up of dental health services in Taos County.
• Gallup Community Health: Increase primary care and behavioral health services in McKinley County.
• Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center: Restart in-person outpatient psychiatric services that ceased during the COVID-19 pandemic and expand inpatient behavioral health in Otero County.
• Laguna Healthcare Corp: Expand primary care services, pharmacy, laboratory, and radiology in Cibola County.
• Mimbres Memorial Hospital: Expand pediatric outpatient, inpatient, emergency, and labor and delivery services in Luna County.
• Nurstead Consulting Services, LLC: Create a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week drop-in facility to provide mental health support services in Curry County.
• South Central Colfax County Special Hospital District: Increase primary care services, particularly for older adults, and expand substance use services in Colfax County.
• Sunrise Clinics: Expand and increase primary care and behavioral health services for youth in Colfax, Guadalupe, Harding, Mora, Quay, Taos, and Torrance Counties.
• The Learning Path, LLC: Expand in-person behavioral health services in Socorro County.
• The Psychiatric Care Center LLC: Expand behavioral health services in Curry, De Baca, Lea, Quay, and Roosevelt Counties.

These groups will receive expedited funding and must implement new services by the end of 2023.

“This funding program is so exciting — it will hit every corner of the state to benefit residents in rural counties/communities,” said Senator Liz Stefanics, one of the three sponsors of the bill that created the fund. “The needs being funded include pediatrics, primary care, OB care, dental services, behavioral health, and much more. I am so very grateful that my legislative colleagues supported this funding wholeheartedly.”

“We are profoundly grateful for this grant, which not only acknowledges the unique healthcare challenges faced by the Pueblo of Laguna but empowers us with the resources needed to meet the needs of the community,” said Pueblo of Laguna Gov. Wilfred Herrera. “Together, with partnership and support like this, we are taking pivotal steps towards ensuring everyone has access to the primary care they deserve in our tribal community.”

“We’re excited to hear the announcement of the initial awardees from the fund, and applaud the efforts of the governor and our legislature to continue to address the needs of improving access to healthcare through measures like the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund,” said Troy Clark, President & CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association.

Applications were open to qualified Medicaid providers who provide services including but not limited to primary care, behavioral health, maternal child health services, and specialty care.

Around the country, rural health providers encounter geographic isolation and financial strain, making access to critical health care services difficult. Gov. Lujan Grisham is committed to growing rural health care infrastructure and ensuring access to these essential services for all New Mexicans.

To learn more about the New Mexico Rural Health Care Delivery Fund and this year’s awardees, visit the department website at https://www.hsd.state.nm.us/primary-care-council/