Presbyterian plans outpatient health center in Santa Fe [The Santa Fe New Mexican]

Oct. 11--Presbyterian Healthcare is proposing a large outpatient medical facility on St. Michael's Drive, directly across from Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.

It would be the first stand-alone facility in Santa Fe for Presbyterian, a large nonprofit health care provider in New Mexico with eight hospitals, including one in Espanola, and the state's largest critical-care hospital, with 453 beds, in downtown Albuquerque.

Notice for the 30,000-square-foot Santa Fe project has gone out to adjacent property owners, and a sign has been posted at the site, which is in the St. Michael's Office Park at Botulph Road. A neighborhood notification meeting to discuss preliminary plans is set for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Residence Inn, 1698 Galisteo St.

The area is already dense with medical and office complexes. In addition to the hospital itself, Christus has nearby specialty clinics. Other buildings house eye doctors, lawyers, accountants, dentists and physical therapists. But city approval is necessary because development approval for that 6.7-acre phase of the St. Michael's Office Park has lapsed.

"The single-story building will blend in mass, scale and height with the office and medical buildings of the surrounding neighborhood," according to Presbyterian's filing with the city Land Use Department by JenkinsGavin Design and Development. "Once completed, the project will provide many jobs for local residents."

Presbyterian Healthcare did not return a call from The New Mexican about its plans for the site. But the trend in health care is for providers to offer all-in-one services for patients -- from primary and specialty care to behavioral health and counseling at one location. And Presbyterian is one of the Medicaid-managed care companies under Centennial Care, the state's new Medicaid program, which starts Jan. 1 and calls for integration of all health services for the state's 500,000 Medicaid patients.

Presbyterian has a huge footprint in New Mexico. In addition to its eight hospitals, it offers dozens of other urgent care and specialty clinics in communities from Ruidoso and Socorro to Rio Rancho and Tucumcari. But there are no stand-alone Presbyterian facilities in Santa Fe, and the company serves its insured patients here by contracting with individual providers and urgent care centers.

Presbyterian is also one of the biggest health-insurance companies in the state, offering a package of coverage to federal and state employees as well as The University of New Mexico and many school districts, including Medicare plans for retired public employees. According to its annual report filed with the Office of the Superintendent of Insurance in New Mexico, it has 270,000 insured members, with 13,000 of those federal employees and 20,000 on a plan. The plan managed 13,000 hospital admissions in 2012.

Documents filed with the city indicate Presbyterian purchased the St. Michael's property in September 2013. Presbyterian also owns a 40-acre piece of property in the Las Soleras development near the Interstate 25 interchange at Cerrillos Road. The Las Soleras developer has said Presbyterian plans to open an urgent care center there and then, when the economy improves, probably move forward with a full-service hospital. But nothing has been formally filed, and the company has not discussed its plans.

Christus St. Vincent spokesman Arturo Delgado said the hospital has not heard about the Presbyterian plans. The hospital and its affiliated physician network is under contract with Presbyterian Healthcare for services.

Presbyterian Medical Services, which manages Head Start programs in Santa Fe, is not affiliated with the health care company.

Contact Bruce Krasnow at 986-3034 or brucek@sfnewmexican.com.

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