Silver City, NM - Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) is gearing up to take over operations of the four Grant County Senior Center sites, effective July 1, 2017. "HMS is pleased to partner with The County of Grant, The Town of Silver City and the Village of Santa Clara in order to take another major step in fulfilling our Mission of providing comprehensive and integrated health care services to improve the quality of life for those we serve; in this case, our community seniors", stated Dan Otero, HMS Chief Executive Officer.

State and Federal budget cuts continue to impact several programs in New Mexico, and programs funded by the Aging and Long Term Services Department are no exception. Such programs include the Grant County Senior Centers. This past year, state funding decreased by 5.5%. Additionally, federal funding disbursements through the Older American's Act have been delayed due to budgetary challenges in Washington, D.C.

The Grant County Senior Centers work to provide essential services such as nutritional assistance to area seniors, with a special focus on those individuals with the greatest economic and social needs. This task can prove to be particularly challenging in a rural setting, as those with the greatest need may live 20-30 miles away from a senior center.

Reduced funding could result in discontinuation of some current services for seniors and the creation of waiting lists across the state. If funds are reduced, most rural communities will not be able to provide services to meet the need of this growing population. "The timing of the transition has coincided with state and federal budget cuts. Though this has created unexpected challenges for us, HMS remains committed to completing the transition and doing our best to serve the seniors in Grant County. Community members are encouraged to contact their local legislators (https://nmlegis.gov/Members/Find_My_Legislator) to express concerns about these budget cuts and the impact they have on the elder population. We cannot emphasize enough the importance in doing so," stated Edith Lee, HMS Chief Support Officer.

In an effort to adjust to budget cuts, HMS will make modifications to the current program model. Modifications include closing the Hurley cater site, while turning the Mimbres and Gila sites into cater sites. Every effort will be made to minimize the impact of services delivered (i.e. congregate meals, home delivered meals, and transportation assistance). Making these modifications could mean the difference between remaining open or eliminating services in rural Grant County.

HMS will host a Public Meeting held on May 24, 2017 at 5:00pm at The Grant County Veteran's Memorial Business & Conference Center at 3031 Hwy 180 East, Silver City, NM to assist in announcing these modifications, and as an opportunity for community members to provide public comments.

Please contact info@hmsnm.org or Edith Lee, HMS Chief Support Officer, at (575) 597-2738 with any questions regarding this discussion.