About Us

History of CHRISTUS Health

The rich history of CHRISTUS Health proves a community that comes together can accomplish great things. From the early conception in 1948 when CHRISTUS Health and other community leaders decided to provide Otero County with a hospital of its own to the opening in August 1949. Mr. Champion died before the opening of the new hospital and the hospital received his name. Sixty-two years later, this hospital still belongs to the community of Alamogordo.

Many renovations and expansions saw CHRISTUS Health Memorial Hospital reach its maximum growth in 1996 and plans began to focus on building a new facility. Once again our Board of directors were focused on the community. This time a priority was bringing the Holloman Air Force and Alamogordo communities together utilizing one hospital for inpatient services. There was no blueprint for this model , but there were dedicated men and women from both communities with vision. Many trips to Washington DC resulted in this first unique relationship of a shared facility. Physicians from HAFB have full admission status at CHRISTUS Health to treat Department of Defense patients and their dependents.

This shared- facility model has been in existence since December 1999. We all agree it has been a great success story . The future holds many possibilities for this facility and the community that was not afraid to do something different . CHRISTUS Health will continue its commitment to technological excellence, maintaining state of the art capabilities in the services that are provided, developing new services, recruiting new physicians and continuing to enhance the existing electronic medical record as priorities for our future.

1959

The current Board, building upon the foundation laid by their visionary predecessors, used operating efficiencies and new services to build working capital reserves sufficient to secure the needed debt and equity to complete this modern replacement facility.

1975

The first 50 years we witnessed challenging, yet exciting, opportunities as new healthcare technologies and services were added to meet the demands of our community.

1985

This new replacement medical center, one of the first in the new millennium, is well designed to move us forward into the new century.

1999

The “Evolution of Excellence” is more than a theme for CHRISTUS Health. This is a process that launched our small hospital to continue the evolutionary growth to become a state-of-the-art medical facility and major employer in the community.

2024

Gerald Champion Regional Medical Center is proud to join the CHRISTUS Health family. This new relationship, rooted in shared values, is set to redefine health care in Otero County. Together, we’re committed to delivering exceptional care tailored to your needs, ensuring every resident in Alamogordo and beyond benefits from our combined strengths.

CHRISTUS Health has over 700 employees. As a private, nonprofit organization, we actively return our resources in quality healthcare services to the community.

History of Christus Southern New Mexico

In 2006, a group of local physicians in the area opened Southern New Mexico Surgery Center, an outpatient surgery center, to provide patients an alternative choice for surgical intervention. This group of physicians recognized that top quality one-day surgery can be delivered in a cost effective manner, away from a hospital setting in a modern, convenient facility. Local physicians are majority owners and are very active in the management and direction of the facility. The facility encompasses 9500 square feet and utilizes three operating rooms. The services provided are: Orthopaedics and Podiatry. The center is accredited by DNV, or Det Norske Veritas, a global quality assurance and risk management company, approved by CMS to deem hospitals in compliance with CMS conditions of participation, and offering hospital accreditation and other healthcare services. In 2025, it became known as Christus Surgery Center Indian Wells.

 

---