OPINION: Memorial Medical Center is failing Las Cruces’ most vulnerable

As a patient advocate, I would like to begin with the story of a Doña Ana County resident I recently assisted. This 76-year-old man was born and raised in Las Cruces. He worked over 48 years at three local lumber yards and, with his wife of 56 years, raised a family here. After her death from cancer on May 30, 2025, he didn’t even have time to grieve before being diagnosed with cancer himself on Aug. 7.

I knew this story because I lived it with my parents. This man lost his partner, was diagnosed with cancer and became a low-income resident in less than two months.

When his medical bills became overwhelming, his daughter reached out to me. I contacted his provider, Memorial Medical Center (MMC), to find out what financial assistance programs were available. I received no response. I then advised the daughter to contact MMC herself; she, too, received no callback.

At a pre-op appointment, she finally spoke with a supervisor. The supervisor said her father was not considered "indigent" because he had insurance, but offered a payment plan. No brochures or paperwork were provided. On Nov. 28, the man instead received a statement from CarePayment, a third-party company. It wasn't a detailed bill, just a charge amount and a due date. I have since provided the family with an “Attestation of Indigency” form per the Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act to submit to MMC.

In November, I attended MMC’s board meeting to publicly request their financial assistance policies — a request I have made multiple times since 2021. MMC’s 2024 Community Impact Report claims the hospital provided $46.5 million in charity and uncompensated care, yet I cannot get a breakdown of how that care was distributed.

This lack of transparency reflects deep-seated issues at MMC, including the controversial closures of its psychiatric ward in 2014 and 2022. My advocacy led me to file Inspection of Public Records Act requests. One document I received was a 2014 email from then-CEO John Harris, stating MMC needed “to chart a new course focused on aggressive and immediate expense reduction and revenue enhancement.”

Other IPRA documents from the former chief financial officer detailed revisions to the hospital’s indigent policy that limited care, including the refusal of treatment to cancer patients who couldn't pay upfront.

However, there have been wins for southern New Mexico advocates:

• NBC News aired a national story in June 2024 highlighting the withholding of cancer treatments at MMC.

• The New Mexico Department of Justice launched an investigation into MMC’s treatment of indigent patients.

• The city of Las Cruces sent a letter of default to MMC.

Public documents prove MMC has faced years of allegations regarding the refusal of care or demands for upfront payments from low-income patients. Multiple levels of accountability are required. We need our city and county—the hospital's lessors—to take a stand. MMC harming the residents it is supposed to serve is more than a slap on the wrist; it is hospital negligence and it is unforgivable.

Yoli R. Diaz is a patient advocate in southern New Mexico.