Santa Fe, NM – Anchorum Health Foundation will invest $109 million over 10 years, beginning with $20 million this fiscal year,to improve access to health care and influence community and individual health outcomes throughout northern New Mexico. Anchorum’s Clinical Support Fund will address cancer care, maternal health care, primary care, trauma readiness, and building the health care workforce.

“This substantial funding will help bridge critical gaps in staffing and services that, although prevalent nationwide, have significantly impacted our region. By addressing these challenges, Anchorum is committed to ensuring that everyone in northern New Mexico has access to the high-quality health care they deserve,” said Jerry Jones, President and CEO of Anchorum. “Building on our longstanding partnership with CHRISTUS St. Vincent and CHRISTUS Health, this initiative aims to broaden our impact and advance our shared goal of cultivating healthy people and healthy communities in northern New Mexico.”

Our regional health care system is facing significant challenges, including the closure of rural primary and maternal health services and the financial strain on federally qualified health centers. However, these difficulties have not gone unanswered. CHRISTUS St.Vincent Health System has stepped up to address the growing needs of northern New Mexico, offering critical services that are disappearing elsewhere and expanding integrated care to better serve our diverse and increasingly complex health care demands. Anchorum is proud to support the hospital’s efforts, partnering to ensure these essential services remain accessible to our communities.

“We believe Anchorum’s grant toward the Clinical Support Fund illustrates our shared commitment to address the growing healthneeds of our region and improve people’s lives,” said Lillian Montoya, President and CEO of CHRISTUS St. Vincent. “We are excited to continue our collaboration with Anchorum to ensure equitable access to quality health care for patients across northern New Mexico.”

The Clinical Support Fund will focus on three key priorities: recruitment and retention of physicians and other clinicians, the initiation and improvement of clinical programs, and expanding access to care throughout the region.

Recruitment & Retention:

Northern New Mexico faces a critical shortage of physicians, nurses and other medical professionals as demand rapidly outpaces supply. Anchorum is committed to investing in and developing a local healthcare workforce through educational pipelines at regional colleges and universities and work-based learning programs that start as early as high school. By cultivating our local talent, we increase the likelihood that our workforce will remain in New Mexico.

The Fund will support the aggressive recruitment, training and retention of medical professionals, including physicians (MDs andDOs), advanced practitioners (nurse practitioners, physicians assistants, certified nurse midwives, anesthesia assistants), and it will support physicians in long standing family practice residency programs.

Clinical Programs:

The health crisis for moms and babies in our region is dire. In the past decade, six hospitals in New Mexico have shut down their obstetrical services, leaving many expectant mothers, particularly those in rural and economically marginalized areas, without essential care. As a result, pregnant patients must travel long distances for routine, prenatal, postnatal, and delivery care. In response,CHRISTUS St. Vincent is providing 24/7 on-site support for laboring mothers and is prepared to address the increasing complexity of cases arising from a lack of prenatal care. The Fund will allow CHRISTUS St. Vincent to grow and expand their obstetrical service line as the regional needs continue to increase.

The Fund also includes a substantial investment in the growing comprehensive cancer care program at CHRISTUS St. Vincent,which is serving patients from across northern New Mexico. The Fund will help sustain initiatives, such as the Native Health Navigation program, which focuses on reducing the barriers to care for Native American breast cancer patients. It also provides a crucial $10 million contribution to the new Cancer Center, which will be the forefront of cancer treatment in our region. Additionally, the Fund will allow for expansion of clinical trials, including those of the Mayo Clinic.

Another program being supported by Anchorum is trauma services. Anchorum’s investment will help sustain and expand traumaservices to meet regional needs, improving readiness, and allow for delivery of quality care for the sickest injured patients.

Expanding Access to Care:

Access to primary care is a critical driver of health as it provides essential services that promote early detection and management of health conditions, improve patient outcomes, and reduce overall health care costs. Demand for access to primary care is at an all-time high. The Fund will support initiatives that ensure northern New Mexicans have consistent access to primary care for prevention, early diagnosis, and ongoing and recurring treatments.

The Fund is helping to drive an expansion that will significantly improve access to care to additional communities by establishing new service locations in Las Vegas, Los Alamos, Edgewood, and Taos. This expansion will ensure that more families have access toprimary care closer to their homes.

The Fund will help enhance access to senior care to meet the growing demand for specialized services for our aging population.Over the next three years, CHRISTUS St. Vincent’s Center for Healthy Aging will expand care for seniors living with multiple chronic conditions, requiring ongoing treatment, managing complex medication regimens, or facing mobility challenges.

Additionally, the Fund will help support caregivers, family members, and friends by connecting them with resources to ensure seniors receive the best care possible.

“For the last 15 years, Anchorum and CHRISTUS have collaborated to improve health care access and clinical outcomes for the people of Santa Fe and northern New Mexico,” said Jeff Puckett, COO of CHRISTUS Health. “With Anchorum’s generous supportof the Clinical Support Fund, we begin an exciting new era of partnership to ensure patients and families from across northern New Mexico have access to quality, integrated care for years to come.”

Anchorum Health Foundation is dedicated to improving the conditions that have the greatest influence on the health ofcommunities in our region. We are committing our resources to strengthening community-based partners tackling critical local issues. For more information, visit anchorum.org.

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