Downtown Las Cruces health clinic gets key donation, name
By James Staley, Las Cruces Sun-News, N.M. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
La Clinica de Familia, a nonprofit health center serving Doña Ana County since 1978, has been working for a few years to establish another clinic, centered in
Last year, as part of an economic initiative,
La Clinica isn't planning a massive reconstruction of the building, but even a facelift, as CEO
"We have big dreams for this clinic,"
That's where
<p>Cervantes, 82, made a name for himself in engineering, construction and agriculture.
Last week Cervantes talked about an emotional connection he felt to the old
He declined to go into detail, but said one of his children born there suffered health problems and recovered at the old hospital.
"It has probably been told by many other people," Cervantes said of his personal story "... It's not unique to my condition."
Cervantes had 160 acres of East Mesa land he wanted to donate, so when he heard recently La Clinica's plans for the old hospital, he spoke with organization officials. Last week, he signed over the land, which La Clinica will use as collateral for construction loans.
"It wasn't written into the script, but for us, Orlando stepping up and doing this for us is another big step," said
Added
As a result, it will be called the
But Cervantes said he's not doing it to get his name on the wall. He was thinking of his son. He was thinking of the people who he worked with that utilized La Clinica's many services over the years.
"With a contribution of this nature, you're not contributing to any one individual, you're contributing to the community as a whole," Cervantes said.
He hopes others will follow his lead.
In keeping with that community theme and inspired by Cervantes,
"I'd like to do a photo album. I'd like to ask the community if they would send us photos of their loved ones and stories," she said. "We would actually created a photo album and have it there in the lobby."
The area, for years, has been underserved medically. Implementation of the Affordable Care Act,
"We need to meet those needs,"
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