ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A company is trying to make it easier for expectant mothers in rural parts of New Mexico to see an OB-GYN.

It’s not just holding appointments virtually, but they can also do everything from ultrasounds to fetal assessments remotely — without requiring the mother to drive all the way to Albuquerque.

“A specialist, a maternal-fetal medicine doctor that is trained logs onto the computer in a remote setting, but the ultrasound is the same, the procedure is the same, but the doctor is able to log on from a remote clinic and be involved in the ultrasound in real time, take measurements, and look at the baby from head to toe,” said Dr. Matthew Brennan, a physician with Perinatal Associates of New Mexico.

Brennan said he sees 15 to 20 mothers a day from all corners of the state, which wouldn’t be possible if he needed to see his parents in person.

“In a state like New Mexico, we have our most recent grade with March of Dimes is a C- for preterm birth, and a lot of that has to do with access to care and the distance in such a big state,” Brennan said. “And especially specialized care that is frequently only in Albuquerque and Santa Fe.”

Most of their physicians are located in the metro but they have 12 clinics and outreach centers across the state, including Española, Los Alamos, Roswell, Ruidoso, and Socorro.

“Frequently we can have one of our physicians be in Santa Fe and seeing patients in Ruidoso,” Brennan said.

But there is a part of the state that still doesn’t have easy access to an OB-GYN.

“We don’t have a place in Gallup or Grants, but that is something that is on our radar,” Brennan said.

Ever since the Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital closed in Gallup, expectant mothers either have to drive more than an hour to Grants, or even farther to see a specialist in Albuquerque.

RMCH in Gallup closed its labor and delivery department in the summer of 2022, and the rest of the hospital closed in spring 2023.

Indian Health Services in Gallup say they are prepared to take on more patients, but only in emergencies.