Gov. Lujan Grisham (D-NM) introduced legislation earlier this month in favor of rural health care.
Senate Bill 190 comes after many rural hospitals and care facilities have been forced to close their doors due to patient care costing more than they were reimbursed for, according to a press release from the Office of the Governor.
The release said the legislation will fund new rural hospitals in counties with fewer than 100,000 people, by funding monies lost from expanding services during the first five years of establishment.
"Expanding rural hospital care and available services not only benefits New Mexicans in rural communities, it benefits every New Mexican by increasing available hospital beds statewide,” Lujan Grisham said in the release. “With the creation of the Rural Hospital Services Fund, we will provide critical support to hospitals and communities across New Mexico and improve rural health care delivery to thousands of New Mexicans.”
The bill would allocate $150 million to create new rural hospitals, expand services at existing locations, improve health care delivery systems, and support rural healthcare systems in general.
The funds would also be a strong economic driver in rural areas, due to the fact that hospitals offer a large number of job opportunities, according to the release.