Holy Cross Women’s Health Institute has been selected to receive up to $2.2 million from the New Mexico Health Care Authority to help stabilize access to women’s health and obstetrical care for the Taos region. The three-year grant will support staffing, equipment upgrades and the long-term sustainability of essential local services.
The award comes through the state’s Rural Health Care Delivery Fund, a program designed to help stabilize essential medical services in rural communities. During an October 2025 special session, state lawmakers appropriated $50 million from the General Fund and expanded the program to help sustain existing rural healthcare services. Holy Cross’s three-year funding period is scheduled to run from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2029.
The allocation came as rural healthcare practitioners faced workforce shortages, rising operating costs and uncertainty surrounding future Medicaid funding. The state program is separate from the federal Rural Health Transformation Program established under legislation commonly referred to as the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” although both seek to address challenges facing rural healthcare. Holy Cross submitted its application for the state grant earlier this year and will also evaluate relevant federal funding opportunities as they become available.
Holy Cross Women’s Health Institute is one of the specialty clinics operated by Holy Cross Medical Center. The clinic’s regional importance was a key consideration in the award. It is the only OB/GYN practice within a 50-mile radius with hospital privileges and is a primary source of prenatal care, labor and delivery, reproductive healthcare and gynecological services for the Taos region.
“When care is not available locally, I have seen what happens,” Casey Smith, MD, an OB/GYN at the institute, wrote in a letter supporting the application. “Women drive hours for appointments. Families scramble to find childcare, take time off work, and shoulder costs they cannot afford.”
Dr. Smith, who joined Women’s Health Institute in 2023, and Dr. Siggins, who joined in 2025, form the core of the institute’s OB/GYN team. Together, they have helped preserve access to obstetrical and gynecological care in Taos while providing trusted, compassionate care to women and families throughout the region.
The grant will build on their work by supporting the retention of the institute’s current care team and recruitment to support up to two more practitioners. Funding may also support nurses and other clinical staff. Retention incentives and professional support will promote staff well-being, continuity of care and more sustainable call schedules. The grant will also fund equipment upgrades to support reliable, high-quality care.
With additional clinical capacity and stronger resources, the institute will be better positioned to maintain services and expand appointment availability. This includes access to preventive services such as annual wellness visits, breast exams, Pap smears, STI screening, family planning and contraceptive counseling. The funding will also help sustain prenatal and postpartum care, obstetric imaging, urgent gynecological care and office-based procedures such as biopsies, colposcopies, hysteroscopies, LEEP procedures, polyp removal and contraceptive implant insertion and removal.
The grant’s scope of work estimates that approximately 2,800 people will be served during the funding period. The first year will focus on strengthening staffing and access to baseline services. By the second year, Holy Cross projects a 20% to 30% increase in patient volume as staffing and operational capacity improve. These efforts will support the broader goal of maintaining dependable access to preventive, reproductive and obstetrical care into the future.
“Holy Cross is honored to receive this support,” James Kiser, CEO of Holy Cross Medical Center, said. “Our Community Health Needs Assessment identified access to primary care as one of the public’s most important needs. Women’s health and preventive services are critical parts of meeting that need and are essential for our community. This grant will help expand access at Women’s Health Institute, allowing more women to receive high-quality care, right here in Taos.”
Patients who need surgery can also receive a range of minimally invasive gynecological procedures locally. Drs. Smith and Siggins utilize Holy Cross Medical Center’s da Vinci 5 robotic surgical system to perform hysterectomies, oophorectomies, salpingectomies and ovarian cystectomies. The system gives surgeons enhanced visualization and precision, and minimally invasive procedures can mean smaller incisions, less pain and faster recovery for some patients.
Keeping these services in Taos can reduce the need for multiple trips to Santa Fe or other distant communities for consultations, procedures and follow-up visits. Local access can also ease the costs and logistical challenges associated with transportation, childcare and time away from work.
The grant is ultimately intended to serve as a bridge to a more stable and sustainable local women’s health program. By supporting a dependable workforce, upgrading equipment and preserving essential services, Holy Cross aims to protect access to care today while building the capacity to meet the community’s needs in the years ahead.
Learn more about Holy Cross Women’s Health Institute at TaosWomensHealth.org