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County hears staffing, grant and service updates from HMS, Tu Casa, hospital board and health council
Summary
Presenters from Hidalgo Medical Services, Tu Casa behavioral health, HEDA Regional Medical Center and the Grant County Community Health Council briefed commissioners on recruitment, service trends, grants and public-health priorities including opioid prevention and senior outreach.
Hidalgo Medical Services and other local health providers told Grant County commissioners they are recruiting clinicians and expanding behavioral-health services while adjusting to shifting federal funding rules.
At the start of the presentation block, Melissa Green, a volunteer with Gila Backcountry Horseman, described trail maintenance projects and grant-supported improvements that feed the county’s outdoor recreation economy.
Hidalgo Medical Services CEO (identified in materials provided to commissioners) briefed the board that recruitment remains active; he said HMS is interviewing three physician candidates and continuing to staff 13 clinical sites and five senior centers in the two-county service area. He also warned that changes in federal community-health funding have created uncertainty for health centers nationwide and that HMS is coordinating with the National Association of Community Health Centers to manage service continuity.
Dr. Daniel Adrizzada, medical director for Tu Casa, said Tu Casa received two federal grants to expand behavioral-health services, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT) and a planning grant to implement mobile crisis response and a crisis triage center. Dr. Adrizzada said the process to become a certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) — which increases reimbursement rates for crisis services — is underway; he estimated the state process could begin in the coming months and said one of the federal grants is a two-year award with the first year used for planning and hiring. He described gradual increases in outpatient and MAT patient counts after a recent dip.
Dr. Fred Fox, chair of the HEDA Regional Medical Center board of trustees, described recruitment progress at the hospital: a pediatrician and a family medicine physician have been added or are starting, and general surgeons were retained or returned to the community. Fox said the board is pursuing geriatric and urology coverage and said efforts continue to reestablish a family medicine residency in coordination with Hidalgo Medical Services and the University of New Mexico.
Joseph Hill, director of prevention and community collaborations for the Grant County Community Health Council, summarized public-health metrics and community efforts. He said the county remains above state average for chronic heavy drinking and diagnosed depression among adults while youth indicators have shown modest improvement since 2019. Hill announced a Department of Health grant for opioid overdose prevention and plans to train incoming HMS staff and nursing students in naloxone use.
Why it matters: Commissioners flagged three priorities — clinician recruitment, behavioral-health access (including school and detention-based peer support), and services for older adults. Commissioner Eric Medina urged additional focus on seniors, noting many lack internet access and other barriers to services; Hill said senior needs are a health council priority but that funding streams currently favor behavioral-health initiatives.
No formal votes were taken. Commissioners asked staff to continue regular updates, and county manager Amelia Webb said the county would act as fiscal agent on two DOH intergovernmental grant agreements and subawards to the community health institute, items that appear on the formal Thursday agenda.
