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Hidalgo Medical Services
1 Full-Time Position, APPIC Program Code: 253511
General Information:
Hidalgo Medical Services is the only Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) in both Hidalgo and Grant counties, New Mexico. Founded in 1995, HMS initially provided high quality medical care to the residents of Hidalgo County – the “bootheel” of New Mexico bordering Mexico and Arizona – and through the efforts of a Board of Directors composed of local residents and a visionary leadership team gradually expanded to offer Dental and Behavioral Health Services. Services expanded to encompass Grant County over the next several years. HMS now serves a rural and frontier two-county area larger than Connecticut and Rhode Island put together.
In 2017, in response to a state-wide disruption in the NM publicly funded behavioral healthcare system, HMS became the Community Mental Health Clinic (CMHC) for its service area, providing both integrated primary behavioral health and specialty Substance Use treatment at the Tu Casa facility.
HMS embraces Federal requirements to serve a medically underserved population; provide appropriate and necessary services with fees adjusted based on a patients’ ability to pay; demonstrate sound clinical and financial management; and be governed by a Board of Directors, a majority of whom are patients of HMS.
HMS has a long history of offering training opportunities to Medical, Dental, and Behavioral Health professionals in training. In fact, HMS prides itself on being a ‘learning health center.’ Among the advantages of this approach are ensuring our patients receive high quality care, helping maintain pathways to professional career opportunities, and service to the professions and communities we serve.
Participation in the New Mexico Psychology Internship Consortium expands that commitment and allows for the training of Doctoral Level Psychologists to the same high quality the communities of Southwest New Mexico have come to expect from HMS.
As an FQHC, HMS is accredited by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It has also been recognized as a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) since 2017, and been recognized with many quality awards by HRSA through the years.
Behavioral Health at HMS:
Recognition as a Community Mental Health Clinic in New Mexico requires the provision of an array of services to the communities we serve, including Assessment and Psychotherapy, Crisis Services, Prescribing of psychotropic medications, Crisis services and PsychoSocial Rehabilitation service (PSR). HMS has expanded this core service array to include integration with primary physical healthcare, care coordination services, substance use disorder services, including Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), among others.
Behavioral Health services are delivered in many of the HMS clinics, including the principal clinics in Lordsburg and Silver City, School Based Health Clinics in all three school districts within the service area, and Tu Casa a Substance Use Disorder facility. Many of the services are also delivered via telehealth.
HMS is currently applying to become a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) within the demonstration project awarded to the State of New Mexico. This will further expand the array of services provided by the Behavioral Health Department.
The Internship Experience:
Most NM-PIC Intern activity takes place in Silver City, a town of 10,000 at an elevation of 6,000 feet and embedded within The Gila Wilderness, the first designated wilderness area in the United States, and still the largest in the lower 48 states. Silver City is a diverse community. In fact, the HMS service zone, like New Mexico in general, is a “no majority” area, with an array of Latino/Hispanic communities comprising about 48% of the residents, with an array of White cultures comprising about 44%. Western New Mexico University, located in Silver City and known for its award-winning Schools of Education, Social Work, and Nursing, attracts a diverse array of international students to the area as well.
In addition to a wealth of outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, fishing and hunting, mountain biking, Silver City offers many cultural events such as the Blues Festival in the Spring, the Gila River Festival in the Autumn, many art galleries, dining options, live music and more.
Example Schedule
Rotation Opportunities:
HMS Mental Health
HMS provides individual, family, and group mental health outpatient treatment opportunities at several locations throughout Grant and Hidalgo counties. These sites include the Main Clinic and Tranquil Skies facilities in Silver City and the Main Clinic in Lordsburg. The intern is assigned to one of these facilities where the intern is based to provide mental health treatment services. Integration with medical providers, psychosocial rehabilitation services, case managers, and peer support specialists may also be available for interns who plan to work in an integrated health system.
Tu Casa Substance Use Programs
Tu Casa, located in Silver City, NM, provides substance use treatment in both group and individual settings. Services provided include some detox capabilities with the supervision of nurses on site, medication management, as well as group and individual counseling. The facility operates currently from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday with plans to begin operation 24 hours per day in the near- future.
Minor Rotation Opportunities
New Beginnings Psychosocial Rehabilitation
New Beginnings provides psychosocial rehabilitation services for qualified individuals within the communities of Grant and Hidalgo counties. Participants in the program learn life skills to help them better integrate into the community and enjoy more satisfying social relationships. The program combines social interaction with classroom activities to help clients develop basic life skills such as meal planning and preparation as well as interpersonal communication and relationship skills.
CareLink
Care Link provides high quality care coordination to patients with chronic medical and BH conditions and the opportunity to witness the skilled CCSS workers ensuring effective responses to the challenges of Social and Structural Determinants of Health can help interns develop and appreciation for the strength of such team based care.
Other Benefits
Loan Repayment and Housing Opportunities:
Licensed psychologists working for HMS are eligible to participate in the National Health Service Corps loan repayment program. Link for more info: https://nhsc.hrsa.gov.
In addition, housing assistance (i.e., a one-bedroom apartment) may be available for an intern matched with HMS.
Contact Information
Site Director: Dr. Neal A. Bowen
Email: nbowen@hmsnm.org
Address: 1007 N. Pope Street, Silver City, NM 88061