[Editor’s Note: This is the fifth of several articles on the Grant County Commission work session and regular meeting on Nov. 16 and Nov. 18, 2021. This article gives a presentation on a proposed new HMS clinic in Mimbres.]
By Mary Alice Murphy
The first presentation of the Grant County Commission work session on Nov. 16, 2021, which covered the redistricting of the commission maps can be read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68669-grant-county-commission-hears-first-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-1. The following link covers the update on the Grant County Outdoor Recreation and Trails Master Plan: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68672-grant-county-commission-hears-second-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-2 . The third link leads to the discussion of a proposed disc golf course on state trust land: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68699-grant-county-commission-hears-third-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-3 . The fourth link covers a presentation from Air Methods: https://www.grantcountybeat.com/news/news-articles/68748-grant-county-commission-hears-fourth-of-five-presentations-at-work-session-111621-part-4.
The final presentation addressed a proposed new Hidalgo Medical Services clinic in Mimbres.
HMS Chief Executive Officer Dan Otero thanked the commission for its continuing partnership. He introduced HMS Chief Operating Officer Amanda Frost.
“The letter we sent you goes into the details for this initial phase of a new clinic in Mimbres,” Frost said. “It will be similar to the clinic in the Mining District. The biggest part is to get your approval, so we can get the licensing and construction done to have it ready within a year.”
District 2 Commissioner Javier “Harvey” Salas asked where the clinic would be located.
“It has not been decided yet,” Frost replied, “but our first thought is to put it near the Senior Center. We have a nurse practitioner who lives out there.”
County Manager Tim Zamora said the county owns the land the senior center is on.
District 3 Commissioner Alicia Edwards said: “Please remind me why we’re doing this instead of the building we’re using now.”
Otero replied: “The clinic we’re in now is undersized and is grandfathered in. It’s not the type of clinic we want. We’re also doing this in Animas. We received $600,000 in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) to expand our services. HMS has invested $30,000 to $50,000 to upgrade these two clinics. We want to put this one next to the Mimbres Senior Center. We would lease the land from the county. On recruitment, we will most likely remain with a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant.”
Edwards asked if there were any chance to do the same in Cliff or Gila.
Otero said the clinic in the Cliff-Gila area is a modular building. “We primarily do primary care there. We are also setting them up for telemedicine for medical and behavioral health services.”
“We appreciate HMS serving our rural areas,” Edwards said.
Otero noted that neither he nor Frost would be able to attend the regular meeting on Thursday because of the HMS board meeting. “We have a deadline of Dec. 15 for submitting the rest of our paperwork.”
Zamora said he would recommend approval and would work out the lease with HMS.
The next article will get into reports from county officials and others at the work session and regular session.