ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Taneke Callahan is excited to welcome her first baby in March. She’s a patient of Dr. Jeanine Valdez at Women’s Specialists of New Mexico. 

“Nervous of course,” Callahan said about motherhood. “I’m going to have to figure it out as I go,.” 

Valdez has been there for Callahan throughout her pregnancy, but she won’t be the doctor in the delivery room. That’s because starting March 1, our state’s largest independent women’s health practice will no longer deliver babies at Presbyterian hospitals.

They will continue delivering at Lovelace Women’s Hospital. It’s just the latest group of providers to be impacted by our state’s physician shortage. 

“We can no longer stretch our physicians to cover two hospitals,” Valdez said. “We have to take both the physical and mental wellbeing of our physicians in mind and can’t stretch them out too far.” 

The change will impact more than 200 patients. Valdez said they have nine physicians providing 24-hour OB coverage. They need that to double. But our state’s facing a crippling shortage of doctors and other medical providers.

Valdez cites New Mexico’s medical malpractice laws, tax policy, and Medicaid reimbursement rates as reasons.

Women’s Specialists will continue to offer all outpatient care, including for patients with Presbyterian health insurance. This includes gynecology services, and prenatal and postpartum care. It’s also working on a process for patients delivering at Presbyterian to get to know and establish care with the providers there. 

“Not being able to finish with them and like having somebody familiar, who knows your journey, knows what your needs are, it’s a little disappointing they won’t be there,” said Callahan.