The Board of County Commissioners of Grant County will consider assuming the governance of Gila Regional Medial Center at a special meeting to be held at 9am on Friday, May 1, 2020.
Recent events have raised serious concerns regarding the financial viability and continuity of operations of the Gila Regional Medical Center. GRMC is a county-owned hospital that was established pursuant to New Mexico’s Hospital Funding Act. The stated purpose of the Act is to enable and encourage counties to provide appropriate and adequate hospital facilities for the sick in all geographic areas of the state. The Act provides counties broad powers to take necessary and expedient action to the carry out this purpose.
Accordingly, the Board of County Commissioners of Grant County will consider all available options to assist GRMC in the provision of much needed quality healthcare to the people of Grant County and its surrounding areas. Such options include revocation of the powers delegated to the hospital’s Board of Trustees and the retention of a professional healthcare management company to assess and remedy shortfalls in the leadership and management of GRMC. There are no plans to sell the hospital.
“We are truly grateful for the service of the Trustees. As healthcare has changed and become more complex, their task has become more and more difficult. The Commission believes the time has come to consider that the current governance structure may not be the best way to ensure the County’s hospital has every tool it needs to be successful for the foreseeable future, says Chairman Chris Ponce”.
The meeting will take place in the Commission Meeting Room at the Grant County Administration Center located at 1400 Highway 180 East, Silver City, NM 88061 with remote participation. The agenda for this meeting may be altered up to seventy-two (72) hours prior to the meeting; copies can be obtained from the County Manager’s Office or viewed online at www.grantcountynm.gov. Due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency declared by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the limits on the number of persons gathering, except for essential functions, the meeting will be closed to the public. It may be viewed live on the County’s YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCszkwc1-OF36U2F-TLNWf5Q
Or later as a recording on the County’s website at www.grantcountynm.gov. Public input will be via email and comments must be submitted prior to the meeting.
Comments may be emailed to khubbs@grantcountynm.gov with Public Comment noted in the subject line. Comments will be read into the minutes.