Navajo Leaders Seek $60M to Restart Gallup Indian Medical Center Replacement

The Gallup Indian Medical Center has needed a replacement facility for years, and $60 million in federal planning funds sits at the center of why that still hasn't happened. Navajo Nation leaders are pressing federal partners to return that money, which was originally allocated for planning and is now the single obstacle blocking the Indian Health Service from launching the formal process required before any design or construction work can begin.

Once the funding is secured, IHS must complete a 90-day Site Selection Evaluation Report, known as an SSER, before the project can advance to design and construction. That procedural clock hasn't started.

"The replacement of the Gallup Indian Medical Center remains the Navajo Nation's number one healthcare infrastructure priority," said Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren. "This project is essential to ensuring our families and future generations have access to the modern healthcare facility they deserve."

Nygren also acknowledged ongoing federal engagement: "We appreciate Secretary Kennedy and his team for their continued partnership in moving this effort forward."

The Naabik'íyáti' Committee settled the question of where the new hospital would go back in June 2024, approving the Gamerco, New Mexico site and formally rescinding an earlier resolution that had designated land near Rehoboth. The committee cited specific deficiencies with the Rehoboth site: insufficient land size, poor transportation access, zoning complications, cultural considerations, and drainage problems.

The 570-acre Gamerco parcel addresses each of those concerns. The Navajo Nation has already acquired the land and completed environmental site assessments to support development planning. HEHSC Chair Vince James described what makes the location workable: the site "offers proximity to major transportation routes and access to planned infrastructure connections, including water and sewer services from the City of Gallup."

Federal and tribal officials toured the Gamerco site outside Gallup recently, with Navajo Nation leaders conducting a visual assessment and discussing long-term development plans for the facility and surrounding infrastructure.

"This site has moved farther than any of the previous locations that were considered," James said. "The infrastructure is nearby and the planning is moving forward. Our focus is to work with federal partners to secure the funding necessary to begin construction as soon as possible."

Council Delegate Germaine Simonson framed the stakes in personal terms. "I've seen the impact that health challenges have had on our people. Our vision is to create spaces that support healing and bring our communities back to healthy living."

Beyond the $60 million and the SSER, the Navajo Nation and IHS are still working to finalize planning documents, secure construction cost estimates, and pursue the broader federal appropriations that a project of this scale will ultimately require. None of those steps can move at full speed until the planning funds are restored.