UNM drops Alta Vista acquisition plan amid questions over abortion services (New Mexico)

The University of New Mexico hasn’t said whether its recently abandoned plan to purchase one of northern New Mexico’s key rural hospitals was tied to a proposed reproductive healthcare center, following the expiration of a preliminary agreement last month. Alta Vista Regional Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital in Las Vegas, issued a news release Oct. 2 stating that “a preliminary letter of intent related to a potential transaction with the University of New Mexico” had expired Sept. 1. The letter referred to the university’s proposed “acquisition” of the hospital, according to university spokesperson Christopher Ramirez, who said the deal...