VALENCIA COUNTY, N.M. — Valencia County has been working to get a hospital for the last 20 years and finally they broke ground in November.

“There is going to be imaging, surgery, endoscopies, a pharmacy. Everything that goes along with an emergency department is what we’re going to have,” said Jhonathan Aragon, the Valencia County Manager. “We are finally at the stage to where we have broken ground and we’re gonna be providing that 24/7 emergency department with critical care.”

The closest hospital, now, is in Albuquerque, at least a half-hour drive away. The new hospital is on the west side of Los Lunas. They expect to starting helping patients by June 2026.

All the hospital needs is a name. That’s where they need your help.

“This has been such an important milestone for the community for so long that we wanted to let the people that are going to use this facility, the people that have put input into this project bring their own flair,” Aragon said, adding they want the name to reflect the county’s values and history.

The last day to submit a name for the hospital is Tuesday (link is here). County commissioners will select the name Wednesday.