Nexus Health execs remain tight-lipped on surprise plan to close in Santa Fe

SANTA FE — Speculation continues to surround the surprise announcement on Sunday that one of Santa Fe’s largest up-and-coming health care providers plans to close in January, but the organization’s leadership has yet to provide an official explanation as to what prompted the decision to call it quits.

“We have made no statements to anybody,” Nicole McKinney, Nexus Health LLC executive director, said in a phone interview on Tuesday. “All of that, I don’t know where any of that information is coming from. We will be making an official statement on Friday.”

The organization, which completed construction on a second 95,000-square-foot, three-story facility on Santa Fe’s south side last year, announced the impending closure over the weekend.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Nexus Health will be closing its doors,” a statement posted to Nexus social media accounts reads. “Our top priority remains the care and smooth transition for all our patients. Nexus Health will continue operating through January 30, 2026, and during this time, we will work closely with every patient to ensure their care is transferred with as little interruption as possible.”

A flurry of comments from patients followed the announcement, with many claiming the lack of notice left them scrambling to reschedule canceled appointments elsewhere. Several also asked where specific doctors they had been seen by would be going next.

Evidenced by its $100 million investment in its new expanded facility, which has supplemented its initial Pacheco Street primary care clinic, Nexus appeared to be on a growth trajectory in recent years.

The new facility, completed in 2024, was designed to house as many as 175 staff members, Nexus Health President Dr. Scott Herbert said in a 2023 interview.

“(Health) care is just so fragmented these days, and it’s so hard for patients to navigate this system,” Herbert told the Journal for a 2023 story on the ambitious construction project, which placed the health care company in direct competition with Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center. “The main complaint we hear is, ‘I don’t have access to care, and the doctors I do have don’t communicate.’”

Sunday’s announcement cast doubt on the organization’s financial stability, leading to conjecture about its investment strategy, though the exact reason for the closure remains unconfirmed.

A former Nexus human resources assistant also filed a wrongful termination, retaliation, constructive discharge and breach of privacy claim against the company last month.

In a statement issued to the Journal on Tuesday, Christus St. Vincent Director of Marketing, Communications and Public Relations Arturo Delgado said the hospital was already busy fielding calls from Nexus patients looking to switch providers.

“As Nexus Health winds down operations, our focus remains on the patients whose care is suddenly uncertain: the person preparing to begin chemotherapy, the worker awaiting a needed surgery, the neighbor who finally secured an appointment with a specialist and fears starting over,” the statement reads. “These individuals are at the forefront of every decision we make. We encourage all who are impacted to reach out so we may assist them promptly.”

Patients looking to reach the regional hospital are asked to call the Patient Access Center at 505-913-3627.