Valencia County Hospital set to open this fall after years of planning

A new 15-bed hospital in Los Lunas is moving toward a fall opening after years of planning, with county leaders betting it will reduce the long trips many Valencia County residents now make to Albuquerque for emergency and inpatient care.

Valencia County Hospital is designed to serve about 80,000 New Mexico residents and will offer medical-surgical care, imaging and emergency services at the intersection of New Mexico State Road 6 and Sandsage Street. The county will own the facility, while a Community Hospital Corporation and Lovelace Health System joint venture will operate it. Under that structure, CHC will handle day-to-day operations and Lovelace will provide support services, including medical group support and access to electronic health records.

For patients in Los Lunas, Belen and other rural communities nearby, the practical change could be immediate: instead of driving north on Interstate 25 for every urgent problem or inpatient stay, more care should be available closer to home. County officials have said that is the point of the project, especially for emergency and inpatient treatment that has traditionally pushed local families toward Albuquerque.

The hospital has been on the ballot for nearly two decades. Valencia County voters approved a 2.75-mill hospital tax question in November 2006, passing it by 14,245 votes to 4,438 to fund a 24-hour emergency healthcare facility. In March 2025, the county formally named the project Valencia County Hospital, a Lovelace Operation, and outlined future expansion plans that would add 18,750 square feet and a 24,500-square-foot medical office building.

Construction has advanced steadily. By March 2026, the 40,000-square-foot, single-story building was fully enclosed, interior finish work was underway and a helipad was being built. County officials said there were no budget issues at that stage. Earlier reports said the county had about $28 million saved for operations, while the state legislature provided $50 million for construction.

The site was chosen after review of population growth, access, proximity to I-25 and room for expansion, a sign that the county is thinking beyond opening day. That longer horizon matters in rural healthcare, where sustainability often depends on whether a hospital can keep enough services, staff support and referral networks in place to prevent patients from being sent out of town for routine care.