ANNUAL REPORT 2007 THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO

11
HEALTH SCIENCES HEROS
Dr. Arthur Kaufman is a one-man ambulance
driven to address health care needs across
New Mexico. As UNM’s new vice president
for community health, he sees his mission
as an opportunity to be responsive to
statewide health care requests.
Recognizing that New Mexico State
University already had a jump start at
reaching across the state through county
extension offices, Kaufman decided to
partner with them to establish Health
Extension Rural Offices.
“The philosophy behind HEROS is for the
[UNM] Health Sciences Center to have
sustained roles in communities statewide
so that people can access information they
need from the HSC,” he says.
Kauffman brought in a full-time recruiter at
New Mexico Junior College in Hobbs to draw
Lea County’s best and brightest to UNM.
With an injection of funds from the Maddox
Foundation, he sees Lea County eventually
growing its own doctors, nurses and other
health professionals.
“New Mexico Junior College is building
a new dorm next to the hospital there….
This would make the hospital a preferred
site for the students. They will bond
with the community and attract area
students into the profession as well,”
Kaufman projects.
Among the many communities
it serves, UNM Hospital
receives patients from
Crownpoint and other
Navajo Reservation sites.
“Patients often have
multiple appointments.
They might need to see a kidney specialist,
a diabetes specialist and someone from
social services. This requires three separate
appointments. Working with a coordinator,
all appointments can be scheduled the
same day to minimize the time the patient
spends coming back and forth to the
hospital,” he says.
Noting that information from UNM
Hospital doesn’t always get back to the
referring local doctor, Kauffman says, “We
are looking to provide electronic access to
medical records that is password protected.
The primary care physician would then
know all the post-operative care needs.”
In the southwest corner of the state,
diabetes, heart disease and teen pregnancy
are top issues for which Hidalgo County
residents seek help. To address these issues,
the UNM Community Health Program has
developed ethnically sensitive diets to
control diabetes and heart disease and
launched a program for youths who have
experienced teen pregnancy. With support
from a CDC grant, the youth program was
able to sharply decrease the number of
subsequent pregnancies.
Kaufman also notes the connection
between graduating from high school
and health: “It’s enormous. High school
graduates have lower rates of drug
abuse, teen pregnancies and STDs,
and their earning potential is
greater.” He concluded by
pointing out that having
a good health care system
in place in rural and small
communities is imperative
to developing and
maintaining the health
of those communities.