Las Cruces could see New Mexico’s state-funded reproductive health clinic open its doors on the east side of town by late summer or fall 2026, according to project organizers.
Christopher Ramirez, spokesperson for the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, told Source NM that organizers are in the final stages of design and development and expect to present plans to the Department of Higher Education and the State Board of Finance for approval in May and June. Once approved, the search for a contractor will start.
“Our hope is to have a contractor in place and construction to begin by September/October,” Ramirez told Source NM in an email, adding that the goal is to open doors to patients about a year later.
The Center for Reproductive Health is part of a $10 million capital outlay project requested by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and approved in 2023 to expand access to reproductive health care in Southern New Mexico. The project is a partnership between UNM and advocacy organizations Bold Futures, Strong Families New Mexico and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.
Lujan Grisham, legislators, organizers and local leaders broke ground on the center in September 2024, on East Lohman Avenue near MountainView Regional Medical Center, following over a year of few updates on the project.
The center is expected to offer medication and procedural abortion, contraception options, pregnancy loss support and management, lactation support and doula support, along with other services.
Lujan Grisham recently requested another $10 million in capital outlay funds for a reproductive health center in Northern New Mexico. Neither the governor nor the Las Cruces center organizers have confirmed that the same organizers will be part of the planning for the second center. A location for the center has not been released, though Republican lawmakers speculated during the legislative session that Santa Fe would be the target.
The Legislature passed capital outlay projects in House Bill 450 and it awaits the governor’s signature.
Ramirez previously told Source NM that “as with all items relating to UNM, this capital outlay funding will be thoroughly analyzed, and our teams will continue working with the Legislature and the Executive to understand UNM’s role.”
Source NM is an independent, nonprofit news organization that shines a light on governments, policies and public officials.
