In February of this year, during his monthly report to the Grant County Commission, Hidalgo Medical Services Chief Executive Officer Dan Otero, said: "We, too, at HMS, like all health care systems across the state of New Mexico and the country are going through a lot of changes that we are all a part of, including over the last couple weeks, everything from a temporary funding freeze of the federal funding that we receive on the type of services we can provide."

Then in April, when he again reported to the commissioners, he spoke to the history of HMS and area senior centers. He said that with funding for three years, HMS had provided the Compassion for Seniors Program, which had been well received by the senior citizens in the region, but as of that date, April 8, 2025, the program would cease due to it not being refunded.

The program provided financial support for area seniors to support quality of life being based on their income levels, with the support of Freeport McMoRan, Priscilla Lucero, Marilyn Alcorn, former Senator Siah Correa Hemphill and others and the employees who manage the program, over $130,000 of support was given to more than 222 seniors in the last three years. The types of support included things like replacing water heaters, car repairs, paying utility bills, transportation to the Mayo Clinic for cancer care and other critically important services. Unfortunately, this program was not funded this year, and "we are formally announcing the end of this program for seniors, effective today, until additional funding sources are secured."

The organization has overseen the senior center in Lordsburg since 2005. In 2017, Grant County approached HMS to lease the senior centers to the organization to provide services to Grant County seniors in the centers in Silver City, Cliff, Mimbres, and Santa Clara. He noted that he had supported the transfer and recommended to the HMS Board of Directors and to the New Mexico Area Agency on Aging that HMS provide senior services to these four centers. He reported that they continued to be compliant in all requirements with the AAA.

"Unfortunately, our ability to receive adequate federal, state and local government contributions will impact the future of seniors," Otero said in April. "HMS, using its financial resources in FY 2023 covered the operating losses for the senior centers in an amount of $144,204 and in fiscal year 2024, HMS covered the losses in the amount of $345,350 and we are projected to have a loss this year of $275,738. This is a combined three-year loss of $765,341 to operate the five senior centers. After working assertively with our local legislators, recent conversation with Cabinet Secretary from the Aging and Long-Term Services Department, the triple A and our local government agencies, we have not been successful in acquiring adequate funding. This is not sustainable for HMS or any organization to provide these critical services without adequate funding."

Otero said HMS has decided to work with the New Mexico triple A, and Secretary Porterie from the New MexicoALTSD to begin transitioning services back to the state, but specifically for the area senior centers, in which HMS is not receiving adequate local government contribution. He said Hidalgo County, Lordsburg and board members, along with the town of Silver City have provided additional contributions for fiscal year 2025, but Grant County has not provided any funding since October 2023 and the local governments of the mining district have not provided contributions at all.

He noted they were disappointed at this lack of support and would be notifying the approximately 450 seniors that HMS continues to look for funding so that they can continue the services.

To a question, Otero replied that the cost of annual services for the five senior centers is $1.4 million.

Since that meeting, several other things have happened.

On Tuesday, May 6, former Grant County Commissioner Alicia Edwards spoke during public input about the issues with HMS.

"I'm here today to ask the commission to look into the multitude of community concerns about HMS and to ask that the HMS board take the county's questions seriously for the good of the community," Edwards said. 

She then explained, although the commission has no authority over HMS, why it should be concerned. She noted that HMS is a federally qualified health clinic organized as a 501 c 3 public charity, meaning the organization is primarily funded by public dollars. The board of a 501 c 3 hires and holds the CEO accountable and serves as the fiduciaries of the organization, ensuring the prudent use of all assets in service of the mission.

Edwards noted the elected commissioners serve a similar role, as the commission is publicly funded and accountable to the public it serves. "It must make sound economic and strategic decisions that ensure the county has enough financial and human resources to meet the health, safety and welfare needs of the community, as must the HMS Board of Directors."

"Ideally, this is a mutually beneficial, strategic partnership," she continued. "The county needs HMS to provide healthcare to residents. HMS needs county services to help attract the talent they need to provide healthcare. The critical importance of HMS to county residents offers the commission an opportunity to ask some tough questions of the HMS board, related to recent events. Questions like why did both the Chief Medical Officer Isaac Saucedo and the Chief Mental Health Officer Teresa Arizaga resign very recently? Why is staff turnover so high? Why did HMS lose $340k on senior services last year? What is the status of 14-day care at Tu Casa? And why haven't mobile crisis services been implemented? "

She noted that she and all of the commissioners are aware of the fragility and complexities of health care, especially in rural areas. "But the services HMS provides, from case management to home-delivered meals to serious mental health issues and basic primary care, are absolutely vital to the health and well being of our county residents and in turn, the county itself."

Edwards concluded by saying: "Therefore, the most important question that must be asked, is HMS organizationally capable of delivering vital services and if not, why not? Is it legislative, administrative, under funding, over committed, ineffective state bureaucracy, some combination of all of the above and maybe even things we don't know about yet? I can't imagine that the county or any of the municipalities have hundreds of thousands of dollars laying around to pick up much needed programs, so the critical question is why are these issues happening and what can be done to fix it?"

The latest shoe to drop on this situation is a letter of No Confidence in the CEO, signed by HMS staff members and sent to the Board of Directors.

The letter is available to read at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/editorials/editorial/letter-of-no-confidence-to-hms-board-of-directors

[Editor's Note: The Beat will try to keep you updated on this issue. Stay tuned.]