I Love New Mexico

Episode 106– You can also listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google podcasts, and Amazon Music

About the Episode

In this episode of the “I Love New Mexico” podcast, host Bunny Terry converses with Mark McDonald, executive director of Villa Therese Catholic Clinic, Santa Fe’s only free clinic. They discuss the clinic’s mission to provide free medical, dental, and vision services to underserved populations, regardless of insurance or immigration status. Mark shares his journey from working as a paramedic to leading the clinic, emphasizing the importance of equitable healthcare access. The episode highlights the clinic’s efforts to eliminate barriers to care, the significance of community support, and upcoming fundraising events to sustain their mission.

Links
Villa Therese Website

I Love New Mexico blog page
Bunny’s website
I Love New Mexico Instagram
I Love New Mexico Facebook
Original Music by: Kene Terry

Mark McDonald

Episode Transcript

Bunny 00:00:00  Hi there. I’m Bunny Terry and I’m the host of the I Love New Mexico podcast. We talk about everything here. There are no boundaries. We talk to people who are from all corners of the state, people who are chefs, who are tourists, who are artists, who are Chamber of Commerce executives, and who are from ranch families that have been here for hundreds of years. New Mexico is enchanting, and it’s interesting. And I can’t believe I get to do this job. New Mexico is so amazing, and I invite you to come along for the ride on the I Love of New Mexico podcast. Thanks for being here. On the I Love New Mexico podcast. Today we have a guest that is doing something that was a complete surprise to me because I didn’t know this sort of clinic existed anywhere in this state. But Mark McDonald is the executive director for Villa Terrace. Mark, tell people what the technical name is and who you are.

Mark 00:01:07  Absolutely. Well, first of all, thank you for having us.  And my name is Mark McDonald. I’m the executive director for Villa Terrace Catholic Clinic. we have been around since 1937 and, still, mission still strong as ever today.

Bunny 00:01:23  And and what exactly do you offer?

Mark 00:01:26  So, Beatrice Catholic Clinic is the only free clinic in the state of New Mexico. we are not a fccps. We are not affiliated with any major health system. We are a non-profit organization that offers free health care. to anybody who walks through our door, our target population, the people that we serve most or those who are the most underserved. in Santa Fe and Rio Arriba County, those who are underinsured, have no insurance at all. we, you know, really rely on on them coming to see us. We believe that they deserve health care. Health care just as much as anybody else. And so our door is open to anybody who’s having a hard time accessing equitable, quality health care. We provide medical services, dental services and vision services.

Bunny 00:02:20  It’s crazy because I found out about you.

Bunny 00:02:23  I feel like I have my pulse, my finger on the pulse of everything that’s happening, at least in Santa Fe and Santa Fe County. But, but but sort of in New Mexico. And then, I had a meeting with my great friend Stephanie Hamilton, and she wanted to talk about fundraising, which we do at the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico, at a really high level. And, and she mentioned the services you offer, and I said, wait, wait, tell me that again because I you set. You’re saying that it’s anybody who comes through the door? And is that really the truth? Anybody?

Mark 00:03:04  So we have a compassionate, no questions asked policy. we want this to be a place where people feel safe to come regardless of their, employment status, regardless of their insurance status, regardless of their immigration status, regardless of their religious affiliation. We really believe that. And we know that equitable, health care, quality healthcare is getting harder and harder to access. And our mission is to ensure that anybody who needs access to health care we provide.

Mark 00:03:40  Obviously, we’re more suited, better suited for different populations than others. but yes, anybody who walks through our door receives the health care that they need, and we don’t ask any questions. We just provide the care the best that we can. and so that is, you know, one of our core missions and one of our core beliefs, and we, we hold to it.

Bunny 00:04:02  I, I really, really like the compassionate, no questions asked policy, because that means there’s not a judgment about where somebody is coming from. So I want to tell you, when I was a single mom in Albuquerque and, working, you know, I was trying to finish my degree as well as working more than full time for a lot of different lawyers. And not that I wasn’t compensated well, but I had no health insurance. Right. And I got a toothache that was excruciating. And the one place I could go then was a La Familia clinic down in the South Valley. And I remember going there And I’m feeling some shame over it because I was like, how did I get to this place where I, where I don’t have a full, you know, I don’t have a dentist on call and I don’t have the resources to just pay somebody.

Bunny 00:05:05  The at that time, what would have been 4 or $500 to fix what was going on in my mouth and, and what I saw there. Mark, this really made a big difference for me, and it made me dedicated to nonprofits that help people in the way that you do. What I saw were a lot of people sitting, waiting, of course, because there was a long wait. But what I saw was people who had to navigate the bus system, or getting a ride from a friend, and especially the elderly and people on walkers. And I thought, how, I mean, I own my car, I have a flexible job schedules so that I can take two hours off and come and do this. But how do people navigate all that extra stuff? You know, the how do you how do you find the bus schedule? How do you even find the bus that gets me there? And then how do I pay for this service? And it sounds like you’re eliminating at least the barrier of payment and and health care.

Mark 00:06:17  Yep. We so we’ll start with that point directly. we do eliminate completely any payment barrier. We don’t ask patients for their insurance information. If they have insurance, we don’t build insurance. We just don’t bill at all. We’re a free clinic, meaning we don’t get reimbursed by our patients at all. we rely on donors grants, you know, that sort of thing to, to keep our operations going. So we, you know, that is the point of a free clinic where the we’re happy to be the only one in the state of New Mexico, but believe that those types of services should be expanded. As far as navigating the other difficulties. You’re right. you know, coming and being seen at the clinic is only one small component of all of these different things that affect, somebody’s health. We call them social determinants of health. If they can’t travel, they don’t have the flexibility in their job to seek out health care. They don’t have access to a place that really caters to their schedule, because some people have more difficulty getting off work.

Mark 00:07:18  It makes it really difficult for them to feel like they deserve health care. And so there’s some of the things that we do to help address those issues. We recently locate, relocated. Well, about two years ago, we relocated from behind the cathedral to where we are now, which is 1779 Hopewell Street in the Hopewell Mission District. And that makes it easier for some of our, some of our clients to reach us. We’re in a more accessible location. We have bus. Bus stops on either side of us. And so we do have, you know, at least a little bit easier access via the public transit system. we also plan to and have previously, as we get back up and going, with, you know, more staff and that sort of thing, plan to do outreach clinics. So we’re actually going to individuals at, shelters, at hopefully churches. We can take dental supplies and, and do dental education at schools and, those types of things because we really believe that, you know, if we step out of the clinic and go, to the patients, then, it’s promoting that equitable access to health care even more.

Mark 00:08:38  In addition to that, I think one of the things that we’ve realized is jobs are not as flexible as they used to be, particularly when it comes to appointments. And our schedule right now is pretty fixed because we have a limited number of providers. But we’re moving to and we’re creating a strategy to say, okay, what is our what is our what does our target demographic need? Do they need us to be open after work hours? So do they need us to be open in the evening as opposed to 8 to 4? Do we need to consider moving some of our clinic days to the weekend so that we can get, you know, get patients in who otherwise can’t make it in during the week? And so all of those things are part of the, the, the, overlook of what I’m focused on and how we can maneuver, change, be a little bit flexible to better reach, our demographic, those who have the hardest time receiving health care. If you’re not focused on that, then the point of existing is, is minimized.

Mark 00:09:41  And, And so we we definitely are remaining flexible watching trends, taking surveys to those who feel comfortable sharing some of that information and executing a plan to be a little bit more accessible.

Bunny 00:09:56  Well, and I would think I want to be really sensitive when I talk about this, but I do know that we live in New Mexico and with cultures that are really, we find this with the Cancer Foundation really adverse to asking for help, that there’s a big, there’s a there’s a large pride piece involved, even even if you don’t have any financial resources. And I know you probably have to navigate that every day, don’t you?

Mark 00:10:28  It’s interesting. I remember what you said just a minute ago about feeling a little bit of shame for going to this clinic that you went to, and I, I mean, I think we’ve all been in similar positions. I, I’m not saying that I know exactly how you felt, but I can say I felt similar in different points in my life. And even though you have, what you feel like is a good job and, and you make money and whether you have health insurance or not, sometimes you feel like, man, I just am stuck and I don’t know what to do.

Mark 00:11:02  And I think we do face that with our patients. I think patients come here and think, some, maybe some think negative things about their, their, they’re having to come to a free clinic. I think our message is, is that, you know, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, what your position is in life. you have a hard time accessing health care. You come to us because really, if you are stressed about those types of things, it raises your cortisol level. Your health declines. We want this to be a safe place. We want you to know that when you come through the doors, we don’t see anything other than a human who needs health care. And I think that our staff does a really good job of welcoming everybody equally, making sure that everybody feels safe here, making sure that everybody feels like they are in a place that really promotes equity from top to bottom, side to side. it’s really comforting for me to step out of my office and go and step into the waiting room and greet individuals, regardless of what they’re here for or where they come from, because, the stigma around health care, particularly around health care for those who have the hardest time accessing it, really needs to be something we eliminate when, when, you know, when we have individuals, when we have mothers who can’t otherwise get care for their children except for at a place like this.

Mark 00:12:40  The shame should come from absolutely nobody, because we’re caring for not only the child, but we’re caring for that family. And we’re doing things to make sure that those individuals have the best chance of success, the best chance of health. And that’s what this country is all about. That’s what this community is all about. And so really, when you look at the core mission of what we do, we help individuals and there’s no shame in coming and saying, I need health care. There’s no shame in it whatsoever. Regardless of where you come from, who you are. Step through our doors proudly. I need health care. Can you help me? And we’re here for you.

Bunny 00:13:30  Well, and I think it’s so interesting that you also offer. I mean, you don’t just offer medical care, you also offer vision and dental, which is a I mean, that’s a I know that good dental care contributes to longevity. And for that to be part of what you’re offering is pretty amazing. What I know that there are people listening who are thinking, well, I, I should I want to write a check today.

Bunny 00:13:56  Do you have a website where they can just go.

Mark 00:13:59  Oh my goodness, yes. Like I said before, we rely on small donations, private donors and grants. And so if anybody is wanting to donate to support our mission, they can do so by dropping off at the office. 1779 Hopewell. we also accept donations online. We have a a robust platform with a lot of different areas where people can support us. And they can do that at via tourist org. That’s villella t h e r e s e.org. Org and there’s a donate section there. and they can also just call us and figure out different ways. You know, we know a lot of people are not in a position to give financially, but they still want to support our mission. you know, and we if you’re a medical professional and you want to volunteer hours, if you are somebody who is good at graphic design and you want to help with our social media, if you are someone who has experience with office work and you want to help you organize paperwork, whatever you feel like you can contribute, those are all really important parts of making this mission work.

Mark 00:15:08  So, obviously, you know, we do we do ask the community for financial support. Without that, we wouldn’t exist. But there are other ways people can help us. In every single way that people can help us is is super important.

Bunny 00:15:25  Well, and that’s sort of community building, too. You know, we, there’s something very cathartic for people. I mean, if you’re listening to the podcast and you’re perhaps new to New Mexico, or if you just feel like if you’re if you’re one of our listeners who’s in, you know, Dubai or Europe or wherever you are, and you feel like, there’s today is a day that’s feeling, slightly less productive or amazing than yesterday. I’m going to tell you that if you find a way to give to an organization like Viatris, that’s really cathartic in ways that you don’t know until you get involved. And, and it’s, it’s it’s so important in terms of community building. And when I talk about community building, I don’t just mean in Santa Fe or just in New Mexico, but I think across across the world, internationally, people helping people in the way that you do is so important and tell you, is there a chance that you might expand to other communities, or you just taking care of what you have in front of you right now?

Mark 00:16:43  Well, you know, meeting our mission where we’re at is super important to us, but we also realize that there is a huge need for this service throughout the state, whether we expand personally or just become a model for free clinics in the state of New Mexico.

Mark 00:17:00  you know, is all part of our, our strategy moving forward. we would love to personally expand, expand via tours to different parts of the state, but we would also just love to have other people who have good hearts with a steady, firm mission to help people, figure out how to do this work, because it’s not always easy. And so, whether we whether our clinic expands or whether we’re just a model for other clinics. We want to be and continue to be the leader and make sure that these types of services expand all over the state.

Bunny 00:17:36  Mark, I’m curious about you. What is your story that you ended up in this executive director position? because you’re obviously well-educated and well-spoken and you could probably take a corporate job anywhere. Talk to me about how this became your part of your personal mission.

Mark 00:17:56  Well, that’s very kind of you. Thank you. I, I started public speaking when I was, when I was young in high school, so it’s one of my favorite things to do.

Mark 00:18:04  I feel so, so just so fortunate to be in this position. And it is. It is an incredible position to be in, in my road here is, quite interesting, actually. I, was born and raised in northern New Mexico, southern Colorado. We have a family ranch up there, and, was raised in the Raton, Folsom, Des Moines, Trinidad. Cool.

Bunny 00:18:27  We are probably cousins, Mark. Who knows? Oh, is that where you’re from as well? Yeah.

Mark 00:18:32  Oh, okay. Well, we’ll catch up on that. but I was, I graduated high school from a little tiny high school in northern New Mexico, Des Moines, New Mexico. A lot of people probably haven’t even heard of it. my graduating, my graduating class was 13 people. It was the biggest class in a number of years. And, when I was, when I was in my senior year of high school, I took an EMT basic course, to be a volunteer EMT in that community and kind of fell in love with the work.

Mark 00:19:05  kind of fell in love with the idea of of being there to help people on their worst day. And, as soon as I graduated high school, I attended the University of New Mexico. I obtained my paramedic, education, and I was a paramedic by the age of 19. It was hard to find work at the age of 19 as a paramedic, because there weren’t a lot of companies that would ensure a 19 year old. But I finally found work in Ruidoso, New Mexico, working on an ambulance as a paramedic. I worked, ambulances for three years in southern and northern New Mexico, and at the age of 22, I started flying for a critical care, helicopter flight company flight for life service in southern New Mexico. And as soon as I kind of got my feet wet and got some experience with, critical care medicine, I started flying in different parts of the state, picking up shifts and just really learning the the need for access to quality health care in this state and how important it is for people to not only be part of the system that delivers and preserves access, but to be an advocate for that access and that equitable access.

Mark 00:20:20  after several years of flying, I, joined the business development team. My job was to, I was a regional business development manager. It was over a large area of New Mexico where I was helping preserve this access. I was advocating for expansion of services. At the same time, our team was advocating for decreasing the cost of air ambulance services, because we know that that’s an expensive thing. And so we were really expensive. Yeah, yeah. So we were able to, during that time, increase the amount of business we had, which means more patients had access to this critical care than had they did before. And we were able to drive down costs in the state of New Mexico. I want to say when I left, it was like maybe close to $300 that patients were paying out of pocket. so we had this strategy of negotiating with insurance companies and, and decreasing the, the cost that patients paid for this life saving access. It was a really good experience. It was really formative for my career, and I loved that job.

Mark 00:21:30  but I ended up taking a position as a project manager, running clinics, in, in Mexico. I, did some political advocacy. I ran for office office several times, and through that I met this organization that was doing, work with migrants in Mexico. This was during, some of the more difficult times, during some policies that kept migrants in Mexico, as opposed to letting them seek safety and shelter during their asylum process in the United States. And so I linked up with an organization called Global Response Medicine. Global Response Management was its original name and was a project manager for them in Mexico and was able to run clinics for several years for migrants, free clinics. our work expanded from the top of Mexico and we had clinics in the bottom of Mexico. I also got to do some overseas work over the over the Atlantic sea. I was also fortunate to to be able to, kind of help lead a project in Sierra Leone. after a burn incident. And so, got some experience in global medicine and, and really kind of affecting, those who, who, who really, really have a hard time accessing health care.

Mark 00:22:56  And then I was a director of operations and strategy for that organization for a while. but I moved back to Santa Fe because I needed to be closer to home. And, so that’s kind of my background. And I was working at, you know, when I got back to Santa Fe, I was working on an ambulance for two years. I kind of just needed a reset and kind of go back to my roots. Of what? you know what my mission in life is, what my core beliefs are, what my philosophies are. And to be honest with you, after living, you know, in a in a place where, you see so much and do so much, for this population that really struggles, you kind of have to readjust to living, in, in a, in, in this society where you grew up in because it was so different. So I took a couple of years, well, about a year and a half to readjust, worked on the ambulance. I found the job posting for Viatris had no idea they existed.

Mark 00:23:55  I lived here for almost two years and had no idea they existed. And so it was, one of those happen, happenstance type of situations, fell in love with their mission. And, that’s how I ended up here.

Bunny 00:24:11  how lucky for Viatris to have you with that vast amount of experience with different populations. I’m, I’m I’m so excited that you are the person who’s at the helm of this organization. and I’m from Logan, so I know where. Oh, okay. This is so I had 16 people in my graduating, maybe 17. Anyway, so I know about that small town upbringing. And, my parents were, volunteer EMTs in Logan for like, 27 years.

Mark 00:24:51  Oh my goodness, I probably know them.

Bunny 00:24:53  I get well, they’ve passed away. They we they both passed away last year and they were you know, my dad was 91. My mom was 89. But that was their deep love. I mean, you know what it’s like to run an ambulance. And I mean, they would people would be in accidents, you know, out by near Visa or Amistad.

Bunny 00:25:13  And then, somebody that didn’t go to the hospital would come and spend the night with my folks for a couple of nights while somebody from across the country came to pick them up. And so there is this I, I have a real heart for this sort of care for people, because there were so many times I went to visit them that, you know, they’d get that 911 call in the middle of the night and I wouldn’t see them again. because it does that, especially rural health care, even when you’re talking about in Mexico, requires an entirely different type of energy and, devotion than somebody who’s not. That I wanted to downplay anybody who’s in the health care field, but it does give you a completely different appreciation for your patients, doesn’t it?

Mark 00:26:03  It does. And you have to, you know, you really have to think outside the box not only of how you’re going to take care of them, but how you’re going to sustain that mission. Because you know what? I it’s not it’s not a secret that, you know, those types of departments that only get, you know, maybe one, two, three calls a year or a month, they are not funded as well as these larger departments.

Mark 00:26:28  And of course, there’s a reason for that, but they need to be equitably funded. So not only do you have to think outside the box of how you’re going to take care of your patient, you have to think outside the box of how you’re going to be there for the next patient. And it was the same with working in Mexico. It was, you know, how am I going to be here next week? How am I going to be here next month? How am I going to be here when the next wave of migrants comes through? Who needs just as much health care as this last bunch of migrants did? And and so there’s there’s so many different considerations that I think people forget. And when you’re talking about equitable access in, in, in New Mexico, in rural New Mexico, that’s the majority of the state. The majority of the state faces these challenges. How am I going to get my ambulance stocked? How am I going to afford to pay for the supplies I need to treat my next patient? How am I going to afford to fill up my ambulance with fuel? How am I going to, you know, what’s going to happen when I go out of the county on vacation and there’s no one here to run the ambulance? I mean, all of those things are legitimate things.

Mark 00:27:32  And when you’re, you know, a network of a small network of providers in rural New Mexico, it’s an incredible thing to watch these individuals get a call in the middle of the night totally unsuspecting. Maybe they haven’t had a 911 call in a couple of weeks, and they just kick into and this isn’t their full time job. They just kick into life save mode, and they hop on the ambulance and they go and they take care of business, and they do it so well and they’re so underappreciated.

Bunny 00:28:03  And they frequently I might make myself cry here, but they frequently do it with people that they’ve known always. there’s a young couple that go to church with, went to church with my parents, and they came on the ambulance to get my dad when he died at home last year, and they shed as many tears as the rest of us did because they’re so connected with their communities. But I get the feeling that you’ve, regardless of what community you were doing health care in, you were you felt really connected to the patients and the care you were providing.

Bunny 00:28:37  I it just feels to me like you have that sort of heart.

Mark 00:28:40  Oh, well, thank you. I, I’ve always felt connected to my patients. I think, you know, bedside manner. Making sure your patients feel safe with you is so important. And if you don’t know what to do, if you have a complicated patient and you don’t know how to treat them, the best thing you can do is go back to your basics. And one of those basics, the most important basic is treating them like a human and making sure you show empathy and care and compassion. But you’re right. When you are caring for a community that is tight knit and you, you know, you have you run a call on someone that you’ve known your entire life that is particularly difficult. There is no undermining that. It is a completely different experience. And that’s what our rural providers face. You’re right.

Bunny 00:29:26  So Mark, I, we we’ve got to wrap this up at some point. I could talk about this forever because I care so much about people getting to the care that they need.

Bunny 00:29:36  I mean, that’s why I’m such an advocate with the Cancer Foundation for New Mexico. But you are doing a fundraising event in October. That’s that’s what Stephanie came to talk to me about. So tell people what it is. I don’t you’re probably sold out already, but who knows? I, I want people to know what you’re doing to raise money right now that they could if they want to get involved with.

Mark 00:30:02  Absolutely. I want to first give a shout out to our fundraising committee in charge of this gala. They’re doing an incredible job. I mean, the our clinic has not seen this type of fundraising effort in a if ever on a specific issue. So thank you to them. What we’re doing is our annual gala fundraiser. So we’re hosting a night of music and fun. We’ll have both a live and a silent auction. it’s going to be at the Inn and Spa, Loreto. and we’re just going to have a wonderful time with our supporters, attending a gala to talk about the work that we do to celebrate 87 years of that work.

Mark 00:30:45  special guest speaker is going to be sister Pat Murray Bernard, who was the executive director for over 20 years for the organization. we have some incredible items up for auction, including a, all inclusive trip to Nuevo Vallarta and Tuscany. And, there’s just so many cool things that this committee is, has, has made happen for that night. Tickets are 150. So when you’re thinking about a sponsored bar and, you know, really wonderful dinner and a night of music, 150 is not a bad price. And it all goes towards taking care of our patients. So it’s 150 per ticket. We also have sponsorship opportunities available for anybody who wants to be a sponsor for the event. And all of that information is available at our website via tourist. Org.

Bunny 00:31:41  And what what’s the date?

Mark 00:31:43  October 5th. It starts at 5:30 p.m.. it will be inside because we know things can be a little chilly around that time, but, we’re looking forward to it. And in it. Loreto is doing an incredible job accommodating us, and we’re so grateful.

Bunny 00:31:59  Okay, so I want everyone to go to the website on this podcast, in the in the show notes, there is a link to your website and to your social media links so that people can find you. And I’m if, if, if you have sponsorships available, I’m going to say right now that I’ll be a sponsor. So I’m so excited.

Mark 00:32:23  Oh, wonderful. Well we appreciate that. And and to those who are considering supporting us, whether it’s with the gala or otherwise, I want to send a personal thank you, because I’m so fortunate to see this team active, engaging and changing the lives of patients every day. So your support is something that is so personally important and so something I’m so grateful for. So if you’re considering that, know that from the bottom of my heart and from the bottom of our staff’s heart that we truly appreciate every single donation, whether it’s $5 or whether it’s $5,000 or whether it’s even bigger or smaller, we just can’t be, thankful enough for your support.

Bunny 00:33:10  Because when you give like that, you get to change other lives, but you also get to change your own. So.

Mark 00:33:17  Absolutely.

Bunny 00:33:18  Yes. Yep. Mark, this is so much this has been so, It was well, it’s been fun to visit with you, but it also fills my heart. So I’m, I’m so excited that you agreed to come on the show. Thank you.

Mark 00:33:32  Well, thank you. Thank you for having us. In any way we can get the message out about the services we offer. Will will do it. And so we really appreciate you having us.

Bunny 00:33:41  Thanks to all of you for taking the time to listen to the I Love New Mexico podcast. If you’ve enjoyed this episode, please feel free to share it with your friends on social media, or by texting or messaging or emailing them a copy of the podcast. If you have a New Mexico story that you’d like to share with us, don’t hesitate to reach out. Our email address is I Love New Mexico blog at gmail.com and we are always, always looking for interesting stories about New Mexico. Subscribe, share and write a review so that we can continue to bring you these stories about the Land of Enchantment. Thank you so much.