New Mexico Awards $20 Million to Expand Rural Primary Care
New Mexico has awarded $20 million from the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund to 32 rural health organizations to expand primary care and related services across the state, with one recipient serving Hidalgo County. The funding aims to shore up local clinics and improve access to coordinated, person centered care in underserved communities.
On December 22, 2025 the New Mexico Health Care Authority announced that 32 rural health care organizations will share $20 million in Rural Health Care Delivery Fund awards for fiscal year 2026. The grants are intended to expand primary care services and strengthen local health care capacity in underserved areas from tribal communities in Cibola County to frontier clinics in Catron County.
The awards prioritize projects led by Medicaid enrolled providers that address documented community needs. Specific grant amounts are still being finalized, but the funded projects collectively aim to expand primary care along with behavioral health, mobile crisis response, neurological testing, dental services and other capacity building activities. For many rural providers the funding will help offset operating losses and support new or expanded services.
“We created this fund because rural health care providers were struggling to keep their doors open, let alone expand,” Lujan Grisham said. “These awards will help meet a pressing need for care in rural communities that have gone too long without adequate services.”
In southwestern New Mexico several regional organizations were named among recipients, including Border Area Mental Health Services serving Grant and Luna counties, Catron County Cowboy Clinic in Catron County, Fort Bayard Medical Center in Grant County, Monte Bello Medical in Luna County, Renew Health in Luna and Grant counties, Southwest Therapeutics in Luna County, and the New Mexico State Veterans Home in Sierra County. In Hidalgo County Mimbres Valley Medical Group was included in the list of awardees, marking a direct investment in local health care capacity.
For Hidalgo County residents the awards could mean more timely access to primary care appointments and expanded on site services that reduce the need for long distance travel. Local clinics may be better positioned to coordinate care, integrate behavioral health, and add dental or diagnostic services according to community needs. The Rural Health Care Delivery Fund was created by the legislature in 2023 to help rural providers stabilize and grow essential services. More information about the Rural Health Care Delivery Fund is available at hca.nm.gov/primary-care-council.
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