ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Four years after our state’s first COVID case, UNM Hospital CEO Kate Becker says access to health care is New Mexico’s greatest challenge. 

“A lot of rural communities either lost their providers, or lost their nurses, or weren’t able to provide services and they still haven’t really come back to that level that they were before,” Becker said. 

“That means those individuals have to find someplace for care,” UNM Hospital CMO Dr. Steve McLaughlin said. “So they can go out of state, that’s not feasible for a lot of people, actually. So, they end up coming to the larger metro areas.” 

UNM Hospital is still feeling the pressure. 

Becker said before the pandemic they operated at about 110% capacity. At the height of the pandemic, the hospital operated at 150% its capacity and has since returned to 120%-130% capacity. 

Staffing is another concern. 

“There has been a lot of burnout,” Becker said. 

Data 4 Investigates obtained from UNMH shows resiliency among staff, and providers is down since 2019 and UNMH’s wellbeing team is interacting with health care workers more often since 2020.  

“That has been a shift,” Dr. McLaughlin said about prioritizing health care worker’s job satisfaction. “I think, in health care in general, and certainly in this institution over the past 5-10 years.” 

Becker and Dr. McLaughlin said better days are ahead. The new tower under construction on UNMH’s campus is set to open to patients and ease capacity concerns as soon as next year. 

The governor recently signed a law that will leverage federal funding to bolster rural health care in New Mexico by approximately $1.3 billion. 

Dr. David Scrase

He became known to millions as the doctor who would lead New Mexico through the pandemic. 

We reflect on the success, missteps, and lessons learned with Dr. David Scrase. Our full interview can be viewed here.