Exceptional care,
no exceptions.
Ocotillo Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare center provides community members in New Mexico and beyond with essential reproductive healthcare services
Listening to Our Community
BEING COMMUNITY INFORMED
Ocotillo Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare center began with a community advisory group – made up of diverse members from across New Mexico – who shared powerful stories that revealed both challenges and possibilities regarding the reproductive healthcare landscape in New Mexico.
These stories inspired a dedicated group of direct service providers, community advocates, and Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham to combine forces, creating something new that truly serves both patients and providers.
Ocotillo is a direct response to these intersecting needs:
- A trauma-informed, gender-affirming, and culturally rooted health center created by and for the community.
- Honoring the lived experiences of those most impacted, while dismantling systemic barriers to care through organizing and education.
Over 5 Hours
Trans individuals shared that they were driving five or more hours to Trans individuals shared that they were driving five or more hours to access gender-affirming care.
Several Months
The intergenerational group shared that they often waited months for basic reproductive health checkups like pap smears.
2021
- Bold Futures NM, Strong Families, and UNM Health Sciences convened community members and healthcare practitioners to address state of reproductive healthcare in New Mexico
- The group created the Reproductive Healthcare Success Guide
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains joins the collaborative and opened a new Planned Parenthood health center in Las Cruces.
2021
- Bold Futures NM, Strong Families, and UNM Health Sciences convened community members and healthcare practitioners to address state of reproductive healthcare in New Mexico
2022
- Community Assessment of Reproductive Access Final Report recommends Doña Ana County as the location for a new reproductive health center.
June 2022
- Dobbs vs. Jackson decision, anti-abortion states drastically tighten abortion related regulations.
2023
- Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announces construction of the new community health center will draw upon $10 million in state funding.
2024
- New Mexico Doula Association joins collaborative.
September 2024
- Official groundbreaking alongside the Governor
“I spent five months looking for a healthcare practitioner when I moved to Las Cruces, NM.
T. Ortega, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Why Las Cruces
Las Cruces, New Mexico, is a vibrant community uniquely located near the Texas-Mexico border. Here, generations of reproductive health champions have advocated for decades to ensure access to a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare within the state. While the legal landscape offers protections, real access has been difficult to attain across such a large and mostly rural state. Ocotillo will help address the needs of those seeking high-quality reproductive healthcare services in southern New Mexico and surrounding areas.
Ocotillo was born out of community need, and aims to help fill the reproductive healthcare gap alongside those who have been most impacted by this need.
2021
Bold Futures NM, Strong Families, and UNM Health Sciences convened community members and healthcare practitioners to address state of reproductive healthcare in New Mexico
- The group created the Reproductive Healthcare Success Guide
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains joins the collaborative and opened a new Planned Parenthood health center in Las Cruces.
2022
Community Assessment of Reproductive Access Final Report recommends Doña Ana County as the location for a new reproductive health center.
June 2022
Dobbs vs. Jackson decision, anti-abortion states drastically tighten abortion related regulations.
2023
Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham announces construction of the new community health center will draw upon $10 million in state funding.
2024
New Mexico Doula Association joins collaborative.
September 2024
Official groundbreaking alongside the Governor