[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6131894,"mediaKeyId","5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830","parentId",5727758,"title","Alta Vista hospital reports sharp rise in behavioral-health transfers; ambulances scarce, helicopters costly","audioSeconds",55,"startMs",8315000,"endMs",8260000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830&start=8315&end=8260","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830/thumbnail_8315000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6131894/New-Mexico/Alta-Vista-hospital-reports-sharp-rise-in-behavioral-health-transfers-ambulances-scarce-helicopters-costly","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131894-f5d378b4361bd3bd56670497456eb035/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911497&Signature=gEdI8WWlm8IKceZOqfYgZqzSzio9UjH0-aCAQa5AC8nOiF6LVuvdPiidfCrzszNY7IugZWj7hHwWnnl41jL~qTmWoD6-U6gnrWrnqJolHq-mPWqH8McSa3qW4KqbY9pYW8Z23rlTqZkwmnuR~Cr8aUBXvEHGKybinCbDsO-DuyEqf1zLKAcmmNl6ylYBj4fw0xPFjm8ACexa3e6Sazug4Es1vzgepL4QJFQAU~aH2l1E6AigR0qfGR27IpU9tSt2QUtF~x~h1yvcRF83cJeec9hRatoHM2n6IB8f4f6uDHiAlp7Huxds57obkXtivDqggieqDyFoQ1PeakglqODrFg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","New Mexico Legislature","date","2025-07-23T00:00:00Z","article","Alta Vista Regional Hospital told the New Mexico House Health & Human Services Committee on July 16 that patients with primary behavioral-health needs account for a far larger share of its transfers than national norms, placing pressure on emergency staff and local transport resources.
Chief Executive Officer Helen Ballantyne told lawmakers that 17 percent of the hospital's transfers in 2024 had a primary behavioral-health diagnosis and that in 2025 year-to-date that share was approximately 18.8 percent. Ballantyne contrasted those rates with a national average she cited of 1 to 2 percent of ED visits resulting in behavioral-health transfers.
Ballantyne described operational limits for critical-access hospitals: Medicare-designated critical access status creates length-of-stay restrictions that make it difficult to hold patients who need longer behavioral-health observation. She said New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute (NMBHI) admits only court-ordered patients and that beds for voluntary, non–court-ordered admissions are not locally available.
The hospital relayed a recent episode in which an arriving patient became homicidal, assaulted and strangled a staff member, and required an extended hold at the facility while staff and emergency responders sought a transfer. Ballantyne said that such incidents illustrate the need for more local inpatient behavioral-health capacity and better transfer pathways.
Transport and EMS capacity also factored prominently. Witnesses at the hearing said rural ambulance shortages sometimes force reliance on air medical transport that may not be medically necessary but is used because ambulances and local EMS crews are not available; that raises costs for patients and payers. Committee members told stories of air-ambulance bills in the tens of thousands of dollars and urged tighter oversight of charges.
Ballantyne said about 5.4 behavioral-health transfers per week are occurring and that efforts are underway to negotiate a local air-transport base and to create a behavioral-health umbrella program to coordinate inpatient and outpatient supports, case management and substance-use treatment so patients are less likely to bounce back into emergency care.
Hospital leaders also said credentialing issues with a Medicaid managed-care organization have left $3.3 million in unbilled receivables attributed to Turquoise Care's migration to a new provider portal; the hospital asked for state support in addressing MCO billing and credentialing problems.
Alta Vista asked legislators for help with three priorities: (1) more local behavioral-health bed capacity or better direct-admit pathways to state behavioral-health services, (2) strengthened rural EMS and transport including consideration of an air-transport base or better ambulance distribution, and (3) support for recruitment, housing and loan-repayment incentives to retain clinical staff.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Legislative Health and Human Services Committee Jul 23, 2025 ","oneSentenceSummary","Alta Vista Regional Hospital told lawmakers that nearly one in five of its 2025 emergency transfers had a primary behavioral-health diagnosis — far higher than national norms — and urged the Legislature to help expand local bed capacity and improve EMS and transport options.","taxTitle","Legislative Health & Human Services, Interim, Committees, Legislative, New Mexico","taxId",65389,"location","New Mexico","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131896,"Survey, task force and hospital leaders: Las Vegas lacks consistent maternity and women’s health services",1721,791000,2512000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830&start=791&end=2512","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830/thumbnail_791000.jpg","/articles/6131896/New-Mexico/Survey-task-force-and-hospital-leaders-Las-Vegas-lacks-consistent-maternity-and-womens-health-services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131896-6609e0b78b277d639897d6324dd6f65a/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911497&Signature=WCIos3jY84JTaCyXXXPDVqGRK1Gk6-2iuJOoFcjlBvaDcoSOuhrhYPCIPpK5tD95ewFrZNOG8~AVg0sIGvRKBMJ8ZG2PKnGSoTJk24xvkCA2IG-b5Xm0O5aJyyeiKwW0RCgnnKcTfOgOGpFuWcJmLhyrrpVu7Yjxcb0wkkdpZK0hOw5ocCmM98vD8aZs5FPxKbyrTEKah0zBTzRIbFcsqU0BuPu0~jPlh89RKR31rAiicW36f~uGDJAYw5eZfRGsFm8vgzssYFjTLGO1Bz2k8-bPFKKgCj4FBsmGSFLfGEaAqlJIXGhUk7UEWPtV3qBR5E4ayjdTgJlM95FFXVgnmg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A community survey and a women's health task force presented to the House Health & Human Services Committee on July 16 that Las Vegas, New Mexico, lacks reliable local maternity and women's specialty services, forcing many patients to travel to Santa Fe or Albuquerque.
Ariel Lehi, the Anquorum fellow working with the Las Vegas Community Foundation, said the foundation's community survey gathered about 300 responses and found that about 60 percent of respondents reported traveling one to six times in the previous year for women’s health care. \"There is a lack of local OB/GYN services,\" Lehi said, and the local labor-and-delivery unit has been closed \"several times over the last handful of years.\" The survey respondents reported gaps in prenatal, delivery and postmenopausal care.
Lehi said options being discussed include reopening an Alta Vista OB unit, creating a women’s health clinic with a birth center, recruiting visiting specialists to hold clinics periodically, and expanding telehealth models such as ROAMS (Rural OB Access and Maternal Services). The foundation is also pursuing capital outlay and other funding to support a dedicated women’s health center adjacent to Alta Vista Hospital.
Alta Vista Regional Hospital's new chief executive, Helen Ballantyne, told the committee Alta Vista is prioritizing expansion of surgical services and women's health supports: the hospital plans to add two surgeons (an orthopedic surgeon and a general surgeon were named) and a full-time women's health nurse practitioner scheduled to start in mid-September. Ballantyne said the hospital has operating rooms and staff that could support expanded women's surgical care, and she asked lawmakers for help with capital and program funding to restore broader services locally.
Committee members and speakers emphasized that travel for maternal care imposes time, cost and safety burdens. Lehi told the committee of an instance where ice slowed travel and extended a round trip to Santa Fe; representative and community members noted geographic travel times that can exceed 120 miles round trip from Las Vegas and are longer from outlying communities.
Lehi asked lawmakers to continue funding the Maternal Health Bureau and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee and to support telehealth expansion for maternal-fetal medicine. The foundation also highlighted the ROAMS telehealth model as a candidate for replication in the region.
Lawmakers asked for follow-up data and for technical support to help track births and maternal outcomes tied to residents of San Miguel and Mora counties; Lehi said birth-record attribution is inconsistent when deliveries occur outside the home county, limiting the ability to estimate local need precisely.
The hospital said it is pursuing partnerships with UNM and other institutions on residency and telehealth models, and emphasized that restoring reliable women's-health access would also support recruitment and retention of families in the region.","Community survey and a newly formed women's health task force reported gaps in local OB/GYN and maternal services; Alta Vista Hospital and the Las Vegas Community Foundation described possible solutions including a women’s health clinic, travel clinics and steps toward restoring labor-and-delivery capacity.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131898,"Las Vegas Community Foundation wins Encorem grants, seeks state support for rural maternal health and recovery",2297,28000,2325000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830&start=28&end=2325","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830/thumbnail_28000.jpg","/articles/6131898/New-Mexico/Las-Vegas-Community-Foundation-wins-Encorem-grants-seeks-state-support-for-rural-maternal-health-and-recovery","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131898-e27dcf56047aa21ca12a850abb152b52/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911497&Signature=WqASmeFKbXQfmYoVVPdCvkoA1iZ7xXh2-m0wQEnvjRT6jReWYMxpL4vtYRjxKtKFHevakJbvvjW3hOMJz6w11UCyUycYF3qVOI-Tj5PbZUVVBGMxu1WK5ftc8W6MOwVhFEoWpBmefiymURh4RjxmlcmogiMH9xB9bWkk8rGLTYvFXtEp31PgK2-aGd5Kgc8CiIZSgzK9jnnSNe8LeII7Ap1MxYYs93fPYGNjayj5q4eMrfvwdUIhUwk5RxMaOYh8Ex0FgSH6t399wCRCJtskVUA0oE3lGt6RNOEEnP8iUPFoe7PbjYe8PeeqXmEWDhX04OXblsDk6bqClwRPgbieEQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Ariel Lehi, a fellow with the Las Vegas Community Foundation and the Anquorum Health and Wellness Initiative, told the New Mexico House Health & Human Services Committee on July 16 that the foundation has directed donor funds into short-term relief and long-term recovery projects across San Miguel and Mora counties.
Lehi said the foundation distributed $332,000 in year-one donor-advised grants from Anquorum to 18 projects in the two counties and has overseen other grantmaking that adds to more than $1.5 million awarded locally since 2020. \"We were fortunate to be able to get grant money circulating in the community back in February,\" Lehi said.
The nut of Lehi’s presentation was twofold: use some funding for immediate needs such as the Samaritan House shelter while directing seed money at upstream solutions like a housing and land trust. She told lawmakers the foundation secured $100,000 in seed money for the trust and recently acquired a 1.2-acre lot on Valencia Street intended for affordable housing development; the foundation described an initial plan for roughly 12 apartments on that parcel.
Lehi also summarized the Encorem Health Foundation partnership: Anquorum has allocated $25 million over four years to five community foundations serving 13 northern New Mexico counties and sovereign nations, the Las Vegas foundation among them, to address social determinants of health including housing, food security and behavioral health. The foundation has hired local fellows to do outreach, grantmaking and data collection in each coverage area; Lehi identified herself as one of two fellows serving San Miguel and Mora counties.
She highlighted recurring needs identified in community listening sessions: behavioral health supports, women’s and maternity services, food security, substance-use recovery, transportation and rural provider recruitment and retention. As an example, Lehi said the foundation’s first grants cycle produced 13 awards, eight of which addressed food security.
Lehi offered several specific asks of the legislature: continued funding for the Maternal Health Bureau at the New Mexico Department of Health; support for the Maternal Mortality Review Committee and for telehealth expansion for maternal-fetal care, including an expansion of the ROAMS (Rural OB Access and Maternal Services) model; support for rural provider recruitment and retention; consideration of capital outlay for a women’s health center to accompany Alta Vista Hospital in Las Vegas; and consideration of the Las Vegas foundation as a partner for distributing Senate Bill 2 funding that targets behavioral health and affordable housing needs.
Lehi closed by encouraging committee members to contact the foundation for project follow-up and said the foundation is expanding staff and capacity to manage the new funding flows. \"We are really striving to do a lot of good outreach in our community work to make sure that all parts of our community are served,\" she said.
Looking ahead, the foundation said it will balance emergency grants with longer-term investments, continue cross-county collaboration, launch a food-security task force and use the Anquorum partnership to leverage additional donor-advised funds and state-level attention.","The Las Vegas (N.M.) Community Foundation described $332,000 in Encorem donor-advised grants and broader Anquorum partnership money aimed at housing, food security and health access in San Miguel and Mora counties, and asked legislators to support maternal-health funding and telehealth expansion.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6131890,"AHEC 'heroes' and county health council press prevention, school outreach and workforce pipelines",1582,7218000,8800000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830&start=7218&end=8800","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5727758-de7f81656eb0884adec227a1023b7830/thumbnail_7218000.jpg","/articles/6131890/New-Mexico/AHEC-heroes-and-county-health-council-press-prevention-school-outreach-and-workforce-pipelines","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6131890-1be46c5a7cabb328f7bf32dded7b6ebc/orig.mp4?Expires=1770911497&Signature=OlTa3x52VD0RGk4UEieUi~SAkj6n7H8pxw-7NXmfOlUA5nseNaZ~xpxYxCOCATDvhCsJrtAEj-Rr~Jf08m~ObC3-lDFWudSDWLgQMZ6utOjDfuYEUQQ4l4nviW0DsXeOQtybq48U3WpgVy0ZCSUrYDsgwQe5fpmEra9Lyk4F3poGDoqjQwB45oKpaq5jBrS7bdK5L4jpl6t3QXrOvdJ5lRgwGiQhRDbRYMhHM6Si6v57G~km6tj-B5Di~Kry37ptL4vGUSuFGaVBLZ6x6lcz3Aa~aW4MhcU8jJMX6CiA0KKMg~oIKnTT6BhVs7IevyW5yu3JG335ZeyUXjn5VPNI9w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Raymond Sanchez, director of the Montanes of North Area Health Education Center (AHEC) based at Luna Community College and affiliated with the University of New Mexico Office for Community Health, described the AHEC program’s work on July 16 to a House Health & Human Services Committee that included recruitment, training and community-based prevention initiatives.
Sanchez told lawmakers AHEC’s core activities include an AHEC scholars pipeline for health students, continuing-education sponsorships for local providers, and school- and community-based programming such as QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide-prevention training and mental-health first aid. He described frequent, small-group trainings (QPR sessions with caps of about 30 participants) and said he personally travels to middle schools, high schools and college campuses to present on mental health, careers in health care and prevention topics including vaping and diabetes prevention.
Sanchez said AHEC is federally funded (HRSA) and that he manages multiple grants and region-wide work; he described partnerships with providers and organizations including El Centro Family Health, Sunrise Clinics and Alta Vista Hospital. He said his role also includes training community health workers and community health representatives on Pueblos, working on the CHW board and supporting events such as the Walk for Hope suicide-prevention activities.
Sanchez and health-council members told the committee the San Miguel County Family and Community Health Council is rebuilding after staff turnover and is focusing on behavioral health, suicide prevention, overdose and substance-use prevention, nutrition and chronic-disease education. Sanchez said the council meets monthly and lists partners including school administrators, hospital staff and county health promotion specialists.
Committee members encouraged AHEC to connect with broader state behavioral-health planning (SB3/AOC regional planning) and to engage county health councils in those processes. Legislators also suggested linking AHEC activity to federal-funding stabilization conversations given anticipated federal grant pressure; Sanchez said AHEC and several local programs face potential cuts without stable federal support.
Sanchez asked the committee to help publicize school- and career-pathway opportunities, to support health career pipelines and loan-repayment incentives for clinicians who choose rural placements, and to consider additional funding for county and tribal health councils to sustain local prevention and training work.","Montanas of North AHEC director Raymond Sanchez told the committee he runs programs to recruit and train rural health workers, provide continuing education and deliver classroom prevention training. The local health council is pursuing behavioral-health, suicide-prevention and career-pipeline work for 15 counties.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Alta Vista hospital reports sharp rise in behavioral-health transfers; ambulances scarce, helicopters costly

Survey, task force and hospital leaders: Las Vegas lacks consistent maternity and women’s health services

Las Vegas Community Foundation wins Encorem grants, seeks state support for rural maternal health and recovery

AHEC 'heroes' and county health council press prevention, school outreach and workforce pipelines