Santa Fe’s cash-flush Anchorum Health Foundation is funneling $20 million to Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center as part of its multiyear plan to improve health in Northern New Mexico, the organization announced this week. About half that money will go to help finish construction on the hospital’s new cancer center, which is expected to be completed next year, while the rest will go toward helping Christus St.
Vincent recruit and retain employees, supporting clinical programs and, in some instances, expanding them. “It’s not just access to care, but access to quality care that Anchorum is really committed to,” said Jerry Jones, Anchorum’s president and CEO, on Monday morning. “This partnership allows us to ensure those types of things.
” The $20 million infusion to Christus St. Vincent is just the beginning of what Anchorum is calling its “Clinical Support Fund.” The foundation plans to put about $109 million total into the fund over the next decade, at a pace of about $10 million per year after this year, Jones said.
It’s the largest funding commitment the foundation has made since it announced its plan to spend some $200 million on its quest to make the region healthier. It’s also a bit of what-goes-around-comes-around for the two tightly allied organizations; Anchorum Health Foundation is the new iteration of Anchorum St. Vincent, a local nonprofit that for years held a half-share of Christus St.
Vincent Regional Medical Center and its relat.