A year later, Southern N.M. still waiting on location for state reproductive health clinic

Little progress has been made with the $10 million New Mexico lawmakers secured in 2023 to fund a reproductive health clinic in Doña Ana County.

As the money sits mostly untouched in an account at the University of New Mexico, the project’s principal fiscal agent, the statewide interest groups insist the planning stage is moving along and expect more progress this summer.

For the last year, leaders in government, health care, nonprofit and community services that assist people with reproductive health access have met to design the clinic in Southern New Mexico. To date, discussions about location and the types of services the clinic will offer are underway, but nothing has been publicly released.

“I know it seems like there was the announcement of the $10 million and you know, ‘where the heck is the center? Where did the money go?’” said Charlene Bencomo, executive director at Bold Futures. “I want people to know that this is definitely something that behind the scenes is definitely getting worked on, talked about consistently, being addressed by all four of the committed partners.”

The Bold Futures nonprofit is one of four organizations statewide currently involved in the planning stage of building the facility. 

“This year, we’re really looking at moving into what it looks like to get an actual space, a real building,” Bencomo said. “What type of square-footage are we going to need, what are equipment needs, who’s going to be in the building physically, what is our referral network going to look like?”

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed an executive order directing the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration to designate capital outlay money for the clinic in Doña Ana County.

The clinic would be established to provide abortion access and address other needs of pregnant patients in Southern New Mexico. The region was chosen to increase access to care for rural New Mexicans and people traveling from out of state, supporters argued.

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Lujan Grisham’s office said the facility remains a priority but did not provide any specific examples about recent actions taken. 

Meanwhile, demands for reproductive health services continue to increase and providers in New Mexico are feeling the strain. According to AbortionFinder.org, New Mexico has seven abortion providers in northern New Mexico. There are only four clinics in the southern half of the state – three clinics in Las Cruces and one in Santa Teresa.

Reproductive health advocates like Bencomo predict the Doña Ana County facility is still at least two more years away from its doors opening.

The state designated the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center as the fiscal agent for the $10 million appropriation. The state recently transferred $9.9 million to the university, said Henry Valdez, Department of Finance and Administration spokesperson. Valdez said that 1% of all capital projects, including the clinic, is set aside in accordance with the Arts in Public Places Act, for acquiring or commissioning art to accompany public places.

University spokesperson Chris Ramirez said the groups are close to picking a specific location for the clinic, with a possible update by the end of the month.

None of the other three organizations, state departments or governor’s office involved in the project would verify any further details about a location announcement.

What have the planning groups been doing?

The four organizations in the planning committee include the University of New Mexico’s Health Sciences Center, Bold Futures, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and Strong Families New Mexico. 

Bencomo said the four organizations have been in planning talks for a year. No location has been chosen for the clinic, Bencomo said, and executives are still meeting to discuss specifics of clinic services. 

The planning team is also still deciding whether to fully construct a new facility or renovate an existing building that will fit their needs and also be cost effective, she said.

Last year, the organizations created a smaller advisory board, separate from the planning team, to tour several existing clinics and discuss the vision for the future clinic.

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Bencomo said that while the state’s $10 million investment will help get the clinic up and running, there will need to be further fundraising to sustain it for future patients, particularly those who do not have insurance coverage.

“We know that reimbursement rates through Medicaid or even private insurance don’t always cover the full needs of a health care center,” she said. “We also want to make sure that we are providing care for folks that may not be able to pay or for whatever reasons don’t qualify for Medicaid, folks coming from other states that might do self pay or might have difficulty paying.”

What has the governor’s administration been doing?

Lujan Grisham spokesperson Michael Coleman, said the reproductive clinic remains a priority for the governor and expects project development to begin this summer. 

The clinic remains a plan, and sits as one of two directives issued by the governor’s executive order in 2022. 

The second part requires changes to the current systems that connect people to reproductive health services in the state.

While quiet in its response to discussions about the Doña Ana facility, New Mexico Department of Health and the Human Services Department officials shared in detail how they are addressing at least half of Lujan Grisham’s order. 

The agencies are shortening wait times for people receiving care, offering abortion medication by mail and have altered the billing procedure for abortion services to process insurance claims faster.

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Department of Health spokesperson David Morgan said a new hotline (1-833-796-8773) coordinating with both clinics and telehealth providers in the state has shortened wait times for patients seeking “any number of health services.”

Morgan said more telehealth providers offer patients remote services and abortion medication by mail, based on individual patient’s needs and the local laws in their area. 

A new pilot program recently launched in Grant and Luna counties opens local public health offices to people who are uninsured in rural areas to attend their telehealth appointments. In some cases, people can direct their medications to be delivered to the same office for pick up.

The program is expected to expand to all public health offices across New Mexico in the future, Morgan said, although no timeline was provided.

As for the Human Services Department, spokesperson Marina Piña said changes to consolidate some billing code procedures simplified the process for providers and insurance companies to process claims.

“This efficiency can lead to reduced administrative costs for providers, which, in turn, has the potential to contribute to lower overall healthcare costs,” Piña said in an email.

The new process reduces an “administrative burden” to reimburse providers. If it’s easier to get paid, then they could be more likely to continue working in underserved areas, Piña argued.

The state also expanded contraception access at school-based health clinics and with private insurance companies to ensure contraception is reimbursed, allowing Medicaid patients to pick up a year’s supply at a time.