Memorial Medical Center is expanding care in our community
I arrived in Las Cruces in 1998 and worked as a gastroenterologist at Memorial Medical Center until I retired in 2022. Twenty years ago, people across the Mesilla Valley could count on Memorial Medical Center if they broke their leg or needed to go in for their annual checkup, but residents would have to drive more than three hours to Albuquerque or close to an hour across the state border to El Paso if they had a complicated health problem that required advanced treatment options. Not anymore.
Memorial has spent the last decade working to bridge that gap and expand access to more specialty services so the Las Cruces community can receive better advanced care closer to home. That transformation does not happen overnight or without serious investments in provider recruitment, technology improvements and career development for staff. As a past board member and chair, and practicing physician at Memorial, I’ve been proud to be part of these changes, because I believe that Las Crucens shouldn’t have to drive hours to get the specialized care they need.
For example, five years ago, Memorial established the only Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) led by the only group of board-certified pediatric intensivists in the southwestern New Mexico region. In the last decade, Memorial also established a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to care for its tiniest patients. These services are further bolstered by a 24/7 dedicated ambulance and clinical crew that support the facility’s maternal, fetal, and pediatric transport services. These are urgent and specialized offerings led by dedicated professionals that children and families cannot access elsewhere in our region. I can speak personally of the quality care provided there as a friend and member of my own nursing staff received care for her two children at Memorial’s PICU.
Memorial has made significant innovations in specialty care. In cardiovascular care, the hospital continues to welcome highly trained physicians to offer advanced cardiovascular procedures and technologies never before offered in southern New Mexico. Oncology patients, who once had to travel out of town for radiation treatment, can now receive care with state-of-the-art linear accelerators, reducing treatment time and keeping patients closer to friends and family. The well-trained and experienced cancer center team has dedicated themselves to treat our community with empathy, dignity, and respect as we all know cancer is a devastating disease. This is especially important to me as I have cared for a family member who was able to receive cancer treatments at Memorial’s cancer center. And for those struggling with obesity and related issues, Memorial launched a bariatric surgery clinic, which has helped change the lives of thousands of people in our area.
The expansion of these specialty services and investments has been made amid significant industry challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, that led to supply chain issues, inflation and workforce shortages that continue to challenge all healthcare providers across the country.
Time and time again, Memorial has demonstrated a commitment to our community. The people of Memorial Medical Center, from the leadership to the physicians, providers, nurses, and staff, are extremely dedicated to serving day in and day out so their family members, friends and neighbors have access to great care. During the pandemic, Memorial worked with city, county, and state officials to develop protocols and distribute more than 26,000 vaccines to residents. And while I was on the board, the hospital regularly contributed more than $30 million annually for charity care and worked closely with the city and county officials to find solutions for local health care disparities. That work continues today.
Memorial has been a part of Lifepoint Health since 2005, and this partnership has been fundamental to the hospital’s ability to make the leap from an acute care facility with few specialized services to a regional referral center with an array of new technology, equipment and specialty services designed to support our community. When I began practicing in Las Cruces, Memorial was a rural hospital. Today, it has grown into the area’s largest health care provider, as well as one of its largest employers and taxpayers.
Memorial is integral to the delivery of healthcare and the economic landscape of our region, and as I reflect back on my medical career, I am proud to have practiced and led the board there. I believe in Memorial Medical Center and am confident its team will continue improving and investing in the services that our residents need to stay safe and healthy.
This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Memorial Medical Center is expanding care in our community
