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Healthcare in New Mexico

New Mexico's healthcare system faces challenges rooted in its vast geography, cultural diversity, and high poverty rates. The state has approximately 5,400 active physicians with a per capita rate of 255 per 100,000, below the national average. The University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque is the state's only academic medical center, Level I trauma center, and primary referral center for the entire state and parts of neighboring states. UNM School of Medicine has pioneered Project ECHO, an internationally recognized telehealth model that extends specialist knowledge to primary care providers in remote locations. New Mexico's substantial Native American population, including the Navajo Nation, Pueblo communities, and Apache nations, requires culturally sensitive healthcare approaches and coordination with the Indian Health Service. Rural areas in southern and eastern New Mexico face extreme provider shortages. The state has expanded Medicaid, covering approximately 40 percent of the population. Albuquerque concentrates the vast majority of the state's specialists, while Las Cruces and Santa Fe serve as secondary healthcare centers. Behavioral health access is a critical concern statewide, and the state has invested in community health workers (promotoras) to improve health education and access in Hispanic and Native American communities.