Tuesday, April 29, 2025
4/29/2025
Fiscal Year 2025 Expanded Hours. - resbyterian Medical Services (PMS), a 501(c)(3) Joint Commission accredited Federally Qualified Community Health Center Section 330 (e) (i) and (h) grantee, is requesting 2025 Expanded Hours funds to increase access to primary care, behavioral health, psychiatry and support services for individuals in four communities. With this funding, PMS proposes to add 50 hours of service through extended morning, evening and weekend hours at five existing sites. New Mexico is a primary care, mental health, and dental shortage area. A third of residents do not have a primary care provider. Even those who have access, are confronted with barriers caused by transportation, cost, childcare, inconvenient clinic hours, etc. Emergency departments are being over utilized for primary care needs, causing increased medical costs and longer wait times for true emergencies. Limited and inconvenient clinic hours pose a challenge for individuals needing routine and nonemergent care, especially for those with conventional work schedules. Taking time off for an appointment may mean losing wages or using limited paid time off. For hourly employees and those with inflexible jobs, that’s often a difficult tradeoff. Most patients must rely on personal transportation to access services. This is a hardship for patients in a service area where 18% of residents have only one road worthy vehicle per household, and it is used for work. Lack of childcare is also a deterrent for someone to seek care during the day while they wait for another caregiver to get off work. Individuals who do not receive routine health screenings or do not seek care when it is needed are more likely to have complicated, chronic medical conditions that are more costly, reduces life expectancy, and possibly develop into cooccurring physical and/or mental health conditions. PMS reduces barriers to care by offering a sliding fee for payment, accepting all medical insurance and the uninsured, making walk-in and same-day appointments, and continuously accepting new patients. To further reduce barriers, PMS is proposing to expand clinic hours to include morning, evening and weekend appointments beyond the traditional workday hours. The proposed sites and hours are: 1. Grants Family Health Center – add 2 hours per day Monday-Friday for primary care. 2. Rio Ranch Family Health Center – add 2 hours per day Monday-Thursday for primary care. 3. PMS Family Health Center – add 2 hours per day Monday-Thursday for primary care. 4. Farmington Community Health Center – add 2 hours per day Monday-Friday and 4 hours on Saturdays for primary care, behavioral health, and psychiatry. 5. Santa Fe Family Health Center – add 2 hours per day Monday-Friday for primary care, behavioral health, and psychiatry.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).