A request for proposals on building a new hospital in Valencia County has a scheduled deadline of August 16.
That date is an extension of a previously issued RFP with a due date of June 17.
County officials have for years wanted to see the construction of an acute care hospital. Earlier this spring, the New Mexico Department of Finance and Agreement approved an appropriation of $50 million to plan, design, and build such a facility.
The hospital project has been one that has long challenged local officials and been the subject of endless county meetings as well as a few lawsuits.
Earlier reports have indicated that the facility would most likely measure anywhere from 12,000 to 20,000 square feet, providing around-the-clock emergency room space, up to a dozen examination rooms, a lab, and pharmacy.
A site for the planned facility has not yet been decided upon.
Members of the New Mexico State Legislation last year approved a bill allowing for the use of funds received through the federal American Rescue Plan Act for the construction of a health facility.
In December, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham approved the legislation containing the $50 million for the Valencia County project.
County officials have been trying since at least 2006 to get a new hospital built, noting that residents in need of care are required to take a more than one hour drive to Albuquerque for help.
The argument for a new hospital in Valencia has also been boosted by the fact of the county’s population has risen from 66,100 in the year 2000 to nearly 80,000 today.
By Garry Boulard
