By Cathleen Rineer-Garber, Communications and Publications Manager

The rural nature of New Mexico, coupled with the problems of poverty and accessibility, confront New Mexicans with geographic, as well as, financial barriers to obtaining essential care. The UNM Health Sciences Center works to overcome these barriers by providing specialty care clinics and services to rural New Mexicans across the state.

Some of these efforts involve outreach clinics that provide services to New Mexicans closer to their homes. Outreach clinics are held in a number of health specialty areas including maternity, pulmonary/critical care, and rheumatology. New Mexico’s children benefit from various pediatric outreach clinics including endocrinology, dysmorphology, pulmonary and cardiology, as well as numerous statewide clinics conducted by Carrie Tingley Hospital, the state’s only hospital for children with orthopedic/musculoskeletal conditions.

(photo credit - Paul Akmajian)

The UNM Health Sciences Center also provides access to important health information and advice through several phone-based programs such as the New Mexico Poison & Drug Information Center (NMPDIC) and NurseAdvice New Mexico. New Mexicans can call the NMPDIC 24-hours-a-day for assistance with possible poisonings or questions about drugs. NurseAdvice New Mexico, a partnership between the UNM Health Sciences Center and UNM Hospital, offers all New Mexicans access to a nurse advice line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week--regardless of whether they have medical insurance.

In addition to clinical services, the UNM Health Sciences Center provides valuable relief services to physicians around the state. According to Dan Derksen, Director of the UNM Center for Community Partnerships, New Mexico has pressing health profession shortages, with 30 of 33 counties federally designated as health professions shortage areas or medically underserved areas. “Our programs help address those needs with short term coverage, as well as permanent placements of resident graduates into areas of need,” he said.

The UNM Locum Tenens Program provides practice relief with an emphasis on rural medically-underserved primary care practices. According to Derksen, the program strengthens the rural component of primary care residencies, while increasing resident exposure to rural areas to enhance the potential for recruitment to rural areas. Since its inception in 1993, the Locum Tenens Program has provided more than 30,000 placement days to physicians in all 33 of the state’s counties.

The UNM Specialty Extension Services provides practice relief to specialty physicians and providers during leave or absence and provides small communities regularly scheduled clinics. The program recruits and retains scarce physician specialists into areas of need. Since its inception in August 1998, UNM SES has provided 18,567 days of placement in 25 of New Mexico’s 33 counties.


Missed a feature story? Click here to browse our features archive.