Carlsbad Medical Center is Vital to Southeast New Mexico
3/28/2024
Delivers essential medical services and broad impact to the larger community
Over the course of 2023, Carlsbad Medical Center played a vital role helping people get well and live healthier at more than 137,000 patient encounters across its hospital and growing network of Pecos Valley Physician Group clinics and other outpatient sites of care.
At more than 23,000 emergency department visits each year, lifesaving medically necessary care is provided for all patients regardless of their ability to pay. Members of the community who cannot fully afford their medical care are provided deep discounts or even charity care and the hospital has resources to help them secure medications and medical support devices. Last year, Carlsbad Medical Center provided more than $39 million in charity and uncompensated care for the community’s most vulnerable.
“Carlsbad Medical Center plays a vital role in our community around the clock, every day of the year to help people get well and live healthier,” said Nick Arledge, chief executive officer for Carlsbad Medical Center. “Night and day, our dedicated team of clinicians and caregivers are using their skills, experience and compassion in service to the patients who are counting on us.”
Other support for social determinants of health in the community includes financial donations for charitable organizations such as the Faith, Hope and Love Foundation, Carlsbad LifeHouse and the United Way of Eddy County, and acts of service such as providing free flu shots and health screenings, and the Jars of Love drive collecting peanut and other nut butters for Jonah’s House and the Carlsbad Community Kitchen.
Carlsbad Medical Center applies its resources to medical services, facilities and technologies that patients want to access close to home. Access has been enhanced with the opening of a two primary care clinics - one in Carlsbad and one in Artesia - and the recruitment of 13 new physicians and nurse practitioners in 2023, including several Primary Care Providers and specialists such as two Interventional Cardiologists, an Orthopedic Surgeon, two OB/Gyns, a general surgeon and a reconstructive plastic surgeon. The recruitment of these providers, as well as the expansion of the hospital’s telemedicine program, is helping patients receive specialty medical care without having to leave the community.
Capital improvements totaling more than $3.7 million were made on infrastructure upgrades and the remodeling of the hospital’s medical-surgical-pediatric unit, plus the purchase of new patient beds and new recliners to enhance the patient experience.
Civic resources and services are supported by Carlsbad Medical Center’s tax payments of more than $2.6 million and the payroll of more than $41.5 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services.
Workforce development remains a priority and strong relationships with Southeast New Mexico College’s nursing program and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center are helping in our nursing recruitment efforts and also bringing Family Practice Physicians to Carlsbad to complete their residencies. Investments are being made to help team members achieve their personal and professional goals through assistance with student loan repayments, as well as tuition reimbursement.
Arledge continued, “The vital care we provide is only one part of the broad impact we have that adds up to more than $97 million last year. We recognize that our services are essential to this community and we are committed to doing all we can to provide quality health care and make Carlsbad a healthier, better community for all.”
Back