Exceptional care,
no exceptions.
Ocotillo Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare center will provide accessible, timely, community-informed, and culturally responsive care to residents in Doña Ana County and surrounding areas.
Listening to Our Community
BEING COMMUNITY INFORMED
The seeds of Ocotillo were planted in 2021 when Bold Futures NM, Strong Families, and the University of New Mexico convened the community to imagine a better model for reproductive health. Through listening sessions, advisory boards, and grassroots engagement, participants (OBGYNs, doulas, parents, tribal leaders, members of the Queer community, and young people) shared lived experiences and highlighted gaps in care.
The community urged the creation of a holistic, accessible, culturally congruent health center to serve diverse reproductive needs. With the support of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and the New Mexico Doula Association, the Ocotillo Executive Council was formed.
Ocotillo is a direct response to these intersecting needs:
- Creating a trauma-informed, gender-affirming, and culturally rooted health center envisioned by and for the community.
- Honoring the lived experiences of those most impacted by limited access to care, while dismantling systemic barriers to care through organizing and education.
Long Travel Times
Trans individuals shared that they were driving five or more hours to access gender-affirming care.
Long Wait Times
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 the community and healthcare practitioners to address the state of reproductive healthcare in NM
- The Reproductive Healthcare Success Guide created
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains joined the collaborative and opened a new health center in Las Cruces
2022
- Community Assessment of Reproductive Access Final Report recommends Las Cruces 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 $10M in state funding for construction of the new health center
2024
- New Mexico Doula Association joins collaborative
- Official groundbreaking alongside Governor
2025
- Coalition partners deepen relationships and finalize service offerings. Ocotillo kicks off fundraising and gathers nationwide support
2026
- Ocotillo construction is complete
2027
- Ocotillo’s doors open. Patients receive exceptional sexual and reproductive healthcare in their own community
“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.
Our Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Services
Ocotillo aims to provide accessible, timely, community-informed, supportive and culturally responsive sexual and reproductive healthcare.
Screenings
Gender-Affirming Hormone Replacement Therapy
Abortion Care & Miscarriage Management
Sexual Health Testing & Treatment
Contraception & Family Planning
Integrated Doula Support & Accompaniment
Ocotillo is a Project of
Together, we will change the way reproductive healthcare is accessed in southern New Mexico. At Ocotillo, individuals will receive exceptional care, with no exceptions.