OPINION: UNMH mill levy is vital to ensure life-saving care, saving lives in NM
By: Kurt Riley and Troy Clark
UNMH mill levy ensures life-saving care
As a Bernalillo County resident, I am writing to advocate for the passage of the UNM Hospital mill levy in the upcoming election on Nov. 5. Our community relies on UNM Hospital every day for life-saving care, and the mill levy is critical to maintaining these important services.
The UNM Hospital, with its state-of-the-art critical care facilities and Level 1 trauma center programs, holds a unique and vital position in New Mexico’s health care system. It is the only facility in the state equipped to handle the most severe and complex injuries, offering immediate, comprehensive care that can be the difference between life and death.
This unique role underscores the importance of the funds raised by this levy, ensuring we have access to the best care when we need it most.
Your vote could save a life. By voting yes, you ensure that the critical services provided by UNMH remain available whenever you, a friend, or a loved one need them.
This is not just about supporting a hospital; it’s about ensuring that high-quality medical care is available in our community, providing more than peace of mind. It gives hope when we need it most. The urgency of this situation cannot be overstated.
This levy could directly impact you or someone you care about.
Please, I urge you to join me in voting “yes” on Nov. 5. Together, we can make sure that UNM Hospital’s state-of-the-art critical care facilities and Level 1 trauma center programs continue to serve our community with the excellence and urgency we rely on in crucial times.
KURT RILEY
Acoma pueblo member, former governor
Preserve connection to UNMH healthcare
No matter where you live in our state, the University of New Mexico Hospital mill levy is important to you.
UNMH and its teams of New Mexico healthcare clinicians and professionals fill essential roles no other hospital in the state can. Investment in UNMH is vital to the health of all New Mexicans and to the success of all hospitals in the state.
This investment provides patients with the right level of care when and where they need it through the critical services and advanced treatment UNMH offers.
As the president and CEO of the New Mexico Hospital Association, I can attest to the deeply interwoven healthcare environment in New Mexico, especially among New Mexico’s hospitals. Whether you or your loved ones are being treated in one of the rural hospitals that span the four corners of our state or are receiving care in urban settings from Presbyterian Hospital, Lovelace Medical Center, or Christus St. Vincent, one truth is absolute: Each hospital’s success in caring for their communities is intertwined and dependent on the others.
Like a spider web, touch one thread and the entire web will be affected.
A viable healthcare system requires access to the specialized care that UNMH offers every day. For example, UNMH is the state’s only Level 1 trauma center, and while many hospitals provide critical care, UNMH is the only hospital in the state to receive the highest level of certification from the American College of Surgeons.
Failure to pass the mill levy would have a detrimental impact on every New Mexico hospital and community. Other hospitals would have a reduced ability to transfer patients to UNMH to receive the specialized care they need. More patients would have to be sent far from home for this care. This would sever the vital connections that keep our comprehensive and collaborative hospital network intact.
The mill levy is not just about funding UNMH, it’s about maintaining its world-class services — services we all depend on. Without the mill levy, the quality of health care in New Mexico will suffer.
Other hospitals, many already strained, will have to accommodate more patients despite already
being at capacity, and more individuals and families will have to delay care or be transferred out of state.
This November, please vote “yes” on the UNMH mill levy and vote for access to health care in New Mexico.
TROY CLARK
New Mexico Hospital Association
