President’s Message

It is my great honor to be elected president of the New Mexico Hispanic Medical Association. I am proud of our association and their commitment to move our Hispanic community forward both in providing needed scholarships for medical students and the discount Medical Card for non-insured members of the community of all backgrounds.

I feel a deep commitment to our association and all the hard work that my predecessors have put forth to bring us to where we are today.  Because of a handful of strong committed board members that started our association, we are now able to provide some amazing and rewarding opportunities to our community.

My goal this year has been to put the Hispanic Medical Association even more on the map in the community and promote our healthcare discount Medical Card.  We have moved forward with membership in the Hispano Chamber of Commerce and have attended some of their events promoting our association. We also have presented availability of our Medical Card to the Hispano Chamber small business members for their employees. This is especially important for employers that are unable to provide a full insurance program to their employees but want to be able to provide some health benefits. We also are dialoging with other professional organizations to come together for the common good of our community.

The Feria de Salud we put on annually is providing a variety of valuable health care benefits for the underserved of our community. It grows every year and we have received great sponsorship. This year’s Feria is a success due to our Executive Director, Steve Lucero, our Vista volunteers and the numerous physicians and other professionals that volunteer their time and expertise. This year’s Feria will be the biggest and most inclusive one yet; it only gets better each year.

In the 2010 we launched our new website nmhispanicmed.org and now offer the ability to join the New Mexico Hispanic Medical Association online and communicate with our members. We also launched the New Mexico Medical Card nmmedicalcard.org website providing the community with easy access to healthcare resources.

On August 18, 2012 we will have our annual CME and Gala event at Sandia Resort Conference Center in Albuquerque. We provide free CME to our members and had a very informative and helpful seminar in 2011. The money we receive through this event is then utilized to provide scholarships to deserving medical students and continue the charitable work of the NMHMA.

I want to thank all that have come before me putting in their time, energy, and ideas. It has been a labor of love and they have made a difference. I would invite all who are interested in giving back to our community to step forward and join our great organization. There is much work to be done in bringing the Hispanic community forward.

Thank you

Gloria Gerstner DPM MS