Bernalillo County, UNM Hospital end detention center medical partnership
Bernalillo County and UNM Hospital will end jail medical care in 2027 after an audit said Metropolitan Detention Center treatment was unconstitutional.
Bernalillo County and University of New Mexico Hospital have agreed to end UNMH's management of medical services at the Metropolitan Detention Center, affecting roughly 1,500 people held there each day.
The change follows a four-year professional services agreement that began in 2023 and covered medical, dental and behavioral health care at MDC. UNM Hospital's services are set to end beginning in July 2027, and county officials are already working with the hospital on transition planning while Bernalillo County looks for replacement healthcare services at the jail.
A Bernalillo County court-appointed medical expert found in an October 2025 audit that care at MDC had been deemed unconstitutional. The shift away from UNM Hospital also follows earlier criticism of private contractors that had repeatedly failed to provide adequate care for people in custody.
UNM Hospital took over inmate medical care in July 2023. The partnership was meant to improve care for the jail population. The county has not named a replacement provider, leaving the next contract and the handoff of medical, dental and behavioral health services to be worked out before UNM Hospital exits.
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