UNM Hospital plans massive healthcare expansion effort in Albuquerque

By: Morgan Reed Date: October 10, 2026

Dr. Michael Richards discussed major development plans for the University of New Mexico Hospital during a recent interview in Albuquerque. The initiatives aim to address local provider shortages and improve care access statewide.

The system is building several new facilities across New Mexico. Key projects include:

New medical clinics
A Critical Care Tower
A $600 million School of Medicine

University of New Mexico Hospital officials requested state assistance to help fund the proposed medical school facility. UNM Health System leaders are directing large investments toward rebuilding the regional healthcare workforce. System leaders discussed the projects during a recording of the New Mexico News Insiders Podcast.

Richards spoke about the ongoing challenges facing the medical industry.

“Healthcare’s hard. It’s been especially hard since COVID. That’s not just a New Mexico issue…Patients are getting more complex, and in our case, in New Mexico, it means older, more complex care.”

Staffing needs remain high throughout the region. Richards said many people still want to enter the medical field.

“So our goal is to be able to give them the opportunity to do that.”

The state is expanding programs to train and retain medical professionals. New episodes of the New Mexico News Insiders program release Tuesdays around 5:30 a.m. Mountain time. Broadcast segments air Wednesdays at 10:35 p.m. on Fox New Mexico.

Listeners can find video versions on the KRQE YouTube channel at youtube.com/krqenews13. Audio streams on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Podbean.

The University of New Mexico Hospital operates as a major teaching hospital and regional medical hub. Academic medical systems typically coordinate clinical patient treatment alongside university medical education programs. Public medical facilities regularly seek legislative state aid to finance large capital improvement projects.

Listeners may send interview suggestions by email to [email protected] or [email protected].