In Anthony, a dormant golf course sports a brand-new health clinic

ANTHONY — Two years after the project broke ground, Memorial Medical Center staff joined local elected officials on Friday to cut the ceremonial ribbon on a new urgent care facility that Mayor Diana Murillo called “a shining example of a shared vision sparked years ago.”

The 3,400-square-foot clinic is the first of several facilities envisioned for the city’s long-dormant Dos Lagos golf course, which the city acquired in 2019. Funding for the project included $1.5 million in federal money and $1.55 million in New Mexico capital outlay. The clinic features a resident family medicine physician and medical staff, with six exam rooms and X-ray facilities on site. The clinic opened its doors earlier this month.

“This exemplifies Memorial’s dedication to extending health care services throughout southern New Mexico,” Memorial CEO Dennis Knox said. “Today, we are thrilled to expand our footprint and further meet the needs of local residents.”

The hospital’s main campus is 23 miles away from Anthony in Las Cruces. Memorial is a private, for-profit hospital and part of the Tennessee-based LifePoint Health chain of hospitals nationwide. LifePoint is owned by Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm.

On hand for the celebration was Sunland Park City Manager Mario Juarez-Infante, who served as Anthony’s manager from 2022 to 2024 and briefly managed both cities before resigning in Anthony. While working for the city, Juarez-Infante helped secure federal funding to develop Dos Lagos. He had previously been a vice president of Wilson and Company, an architecture and engineering firm involved in planning for Dos Lagos.

The brand-new clinic and parking area stand alone, for now, on the grounds of the former golf course, where city hall envisions a campus with recreational, educational and other community facilities.

Support from the state Legislature for the development has been led by state Rep. Doreen Gallegos, D-Las Cruces, whose district includes Anthony. Gallegos has championed Dos Lagos as a potential economic engine for the community and, in establishing an urgent care clinic, a key to expanding health care services into southern Doña Ana County.

“It brings our communities together,” Gallegos told the Journal. “So many times, we see that the rural areas really get passed over. Talk about medical deserts: We don’t have access to medical care, to doctors. This is a hub to be able to bring that.”

Having to drive to Las Cruces or El Paso, Texas, for urgent medical services was particularly hard on the community’s elders, she said: “We need to start looking at how to make things easier for that population.”