NEW MEXICO, USA — The State of New Mexico is trying to poach healthcare professionals from Texas.
It’s no secret.
That state is spending $400,000 over four weeks on the “Free to Provide” campaign, which includes billboards in the Houston Medical Center and full-page ads in newspapers in Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
While Texas politics certainly play a role, New Mexico’s Secretary of Health Patrick Allen says the main goal is to address the state’s struggle with its healthcare worker shortage.
“We’re a state that needs more of everything, everywhere in terms of providers. And so, again, we’re trying to make a pitch to providers in Texas that they don’t need to look over their shoulder and worry about a DA or a sheriff second-guessing their medical judgment,” Allen told us on Inside Texas Politics.
The campaign is only in Texas right now.
If it proves to be effective, Allen says they may run it longer in Texas or expand to other states.
Allen also tells us that since Texas lawmakers passed the “heartbeat bill,” which essentially banned abortions in Texas, and the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, New Mexico has seen a major uptick in the number of services it provides Texans.
According to their latest data, Allen says New Mexico provides 14,000 abortions per year to Texans.
But, he says they’ve also seen an increase in gender-affirming care and broader reproductive healthcare.
“One of the biggest concern areas is around miscarriage care. And that is not something you plan and expect to travel for. That’s something that happens as an emergency,” stated Allen.
Also on WFAA.com: