Governor agrees with need for urgent care facility for the south

The debate over where to build the hospital of the future has rekindled previous concerns over the plight of southern residents who are furthest away from emergency medical help.

Senator Frank Blas was prompted to write to the Governor about retro-fitting the Southern Public Health Center into an urgent care facility.

Governor Leon Guerrero said she agrees, “ I'm supportive of that. I actually read his letter last night and I called him first thing this morning and I said, "Senator, I would like to work with you to make this happen.” 

“The south does need a place where they can go and be seen, but we need to be very clear about urgent versus emergent. They can handle urgent cases, but there are times when even when you go to the urgent care you still need emergency care and sometimes bypassing urgent care and going straight to the hospital may be a life saving event,” She said.

Blas had called on the Governor to use some of her remaining American Rescue Fund money to pay for the retrofit and for two new ambulances to service the south.

Leon Guerrero says it's not a question of funding, but of recruitment.

She's asked public health to seek assistance from the U.S. Public Health Department's office of human resources recruitment.