We’re pleased to welcome you to LAMC, where we admit a patient and discharge a friend. At LAMC, we are committed to being the quality provider of cost-effective health care to Northern New Mexico. Our acute-care hospital, Clinic Services Division, and other services are offered throughout Northern New Mexico for the convenience of our many friends who have used our hospital over the years. Please contact us for all of your health care needs.
Los Alamos Medical Center is a "second generation," it's parent facility having been the old Army hospital on the base of World War II's Manhattan Project. The current building was constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1951 and was advertised as state of the art upon its grand opening in January, 1952.
LAMC serves a very diverse population. More than 30% of our business comes from outside of
Los Alamos County, and we are proud to work with our friends and neighbors in Northern New Mexico.In 1963, as the federal government continued to "open" the once secret town and divest itself of many community services, an election was held to choose an organization who would assume operations of the hospital. Lutheran Hospitals and Homes Society of Fargo, ND, won the contest, and, in January, 1964, LHHS founder Fred Knautz purchased the hospital and two adjacent apartment buildings from the Atomic Energy Commission for the grand sum of $1.
After that time, LHHS (Lutheran Health Systems - LHS and now Banner Health System - BHS) continued to investin capital improvements to the building, with the current total approaching $20 million. In 2001, Banner announced its intention to focus resources on its network and metropolitan hospitals, and to divest itself of its smaller, free-standing facilities, among them, LAMC. In June, 2002, Province Healthcare of Brentwood, TN, became the new owner of LAMC. Province merged with LifePoint Hospitals, Inc., in April, 2005, making LAMC now a LifePoint hospital. Like Lutheran, Province was heavily invested in rural health care and took aggressive steps to upgrade many areas of LAMC. LifePoint espouses the same community healthcare philosophy and is continuing the capital projects begun under Province.
And, while many small, rural hospitals are known as stepping stones or training grounds for administrators, LHS demonstrated its commitment to Los Alamos by assigning only four administrators over its 38 years of service. Robert Hill, 1964-1980; Glenn Bryant, 1980-1986; Paul Wilson, 1987-2000, and Ray Vara, 2000-2002, watched over the facility, providing continuity of care to our patients and guests. Greg Partamian assumed LAMC’s leadership role with the advent of Province in June, 2002. Gary Nicholds became the CEO in September, 2004.
The majority of community health care providers, including dentists, were housed in the building until the early '70s, when all but physicians moved to other locations in town. To this day, most Los Alamos physician practices have their offices on the LAMC campus, some in the hospital building itself, and some in connecting medical office buildings. This system allows patients the convenience of "one stop shopping" for all of their healthcare services in a single, convenient site.
In addition, one practice, Children's Clinic pediatric physicians, has a branch office in White Rock, also conveniently located at State Road 4 and Rover Blvd., adjacent to LAMC's WR Pharmacy branch.
Los Alamos Medical Center and its adjacent physician facilities continue to strive for the best, most modern equipment and services that a small hospital can provide. In 1999, a bone density scanner, a spiral CT scanner, new fluoroscopy equipment, and other capital improvements were added, along with a $4 million physician office building. Capital support for such projects came from the continuing net margin achieved by the 47-bed not-for-profit facility each year, as well as from the continuing work of the Hospital Auxiliary of LAMC. Auxiliary members presented the idea for a bone density scanner to LAMC's board, and after receiving conceptual approval, proceeded to raise the nearly $60,000 required to purchase the unit. Through the efforts of these tireless volunteers, LAMC acquired a new service, saving patients what had previously been a 70-mile round trip to Santa Fe to obtain this exam. Under the investor-owned Province Healthcare system, $1.1 million was spent in the first 7 months of ownership with another approximately $9 million committed to specific projects that are either currently under way or completed. LifePoint pledged to honor all of Province's capital project commitments.
It is this kind of corporate and community support, garnered from throughout Northern New Mexico, which has enabled Los Alamos Medical Center to continue its commitment to excellence throughout the 50 years since its construction. As we move into the 21st Century under LifePoint’s leadership, we expect to offer another 50 years of quality, cost-effective health care to the residents of Northern New Mexico.