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Dan Otero, DBA

Chief Executive Officer

Dan Otero is the Chief Executive Officer at Hidalgo Medical Services and has been with the organization since February 2016. Dan brings 32 years of healthcare experience to his role at HMS. He started his career as a pre-hospital and hospital clinical provider, specifically working as a Paramedic. He has held the positions of Director of Education, Quality Management, and Patient-Centered Care. Dan held the position of Senior Consultant with an international healthcare firm, providing patient-center care and quality improvement consulting throughout the U.S. Over his career he has specialized in leadership, operational excellence, and is certified in Lean and Six Sigma quality improvement specialization. Dan also served as Chief Operations Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at Gila Regional Medical Center prior to his role as CEO at HMS. Dan is a lifelong resident of Grant and Hidalgo Counties and is a graduate of Silver High School. Dan obtained his MBA in 2014 and his Doctor of Business Administration with a specialty in Leadership and Organizational Development in 2022 from the University of the Southwest in Hobbs, NM.

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Teresa Arizaga, MD

Chief Mental Health Officer

Dr. Teresa Arizaga is the Chief Mental Health Officer at Hidalgo Medical Services. A native New Mexican, Dr. Teresa Arizaga learned the importance of serving her community and medical profession at a young age.  As practitioners in the medical field, her parents were instrumental in instilling a good work ethic, compassionate care and a people centered approach in her practice.   Dr. Arizaga is a product of the Silver Schools (Class of 1991) and obtained her B.A. in Psychology and Chemistry from New Mexico State University. Choosing to remain in New Mexico to be near her family, she earned her M.D. in 2000, completing her residency in psychiatry in 2004 from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. She practiced at Gila Regional Medical Center beginning in 2005 and remained there for 15 years. She also ran a part time private practice for several years in Silver City, NM.

It is her hope to continue developing best practices with existing programs and to collaborate with GRMC, county detention centers, local providers, and with others. It is her vision to enhance behavioral health systems for children as well as proactive measures that can come with outpatient support, including drug and alcohol treatment. She believes that together, the potential for continued high quality behavioral health systems can be attained.

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Gretchen Cannon

Chief Financial Officer

Gretchen Cannon is the Chief Financial Officer at Hidalgo Medical Services. She was raised in a small town in Arkansas. She graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in 1999 in Mathematics and a Master’s Degree from the University of Arkansas in 2007.

Prior to HMS she has over 18 years’ experience as a Chief Financial Officer in non-profit and government sectors. In addition, she brings over 10 years of knowledge and experience working with FQHCs. Gretchen is a financial and management team member with proven work performance in communication, leadership and operations. She is a wife, mother and sports enthusiast who loves to spend time on the lake or enjoying any sports game, especially football.

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Albert Diaz

Chief Nursing Officer

Bio coming soon.

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Cathy Diaz

Chief People Officer

Bio coming soon.

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Amanda Frost, MPH

Chief Operating Officer

Amanda Frost, MPH, CHES is the Chief Operating Officer at Hidalgo Medical Services. Born in Texas and raised in Southern New Mexico, Amanda graduated with honors from New Mexico State University with a Master’s in Public Health and is a Certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing.  In college, she was very active with Eta Sigma Gamma; the National Health Education Honor Society.

Amanda has worked in the Federal Qualified Health Care setting since 2011 and worked in the mental health field for four years before that.  Amanda began her career at HMS as a Clinic Coordinator and has since served as the Senior Mental Health Program Director and most recently the Chief Financial Officer before taking on the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Amanda is very involved in the community, serving on the Board of Directors for the Hidalgo County Chamber of Commerce. She has also served as a Board of Director for the New Mexico Alliance of School Based Health Care.  Amanda’s passion lies in helping others and using her knowledge and expertise to provide patients and staff with the best experience possible while at HMS.

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Nitin Joshi, DMD

Chief Dental Officer
Doctor of Dental Medicine

DMD (Henry M Gold Man School of Dental Medicine)
BDS (Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences)

Dr. Nitin Joshi completed his Doctor of Dental medicine from Boston University, Henry M Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Bachelor of dental surgery from Rajiv Gandhi University of health sciences in India with High Honors.

He was a commissioned dental officer with the Indian Army Dental corps at the Rank of Major. He also received his training in trauma and oral surgery during his tenure in the army. During his time at Boston University, He developed his skills in digital dentistry. He is very enthusiastic about patient care and community health. He is also a board member of a few non-profit organizations which work for the upliftment of oral health care towards communities.

Dr. Joshi is very passionate about evidence-based dentistry and critical- thinking. He has compassion toward patient care in all areas of dentistry. He loves to spend time with his wife and play Golf and Horse polo in his free time.

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Isaac Saucedo, PA

Family Practice Clinician
Physician Assistant

Western New Mexico University
Evangel University, Missouri
Arizona School of Health Services

Issac Saucedo is a family practice clinician who has a special interest in rural and preventative medicine. Isaac was born and raised in Silver City, and attended Western New Mexico University. He later graduated from Evangel University, Missouri, and went on to attend Arizona School of Health Services. Isaac Saucedo is certified with the National Commission on Certifications of Physicians Assistants (NCCPA). He is a fellow of the New Mexico Academy of Physician Assistants (NMAPA) and a fellow of the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA).

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Teresa Carrasco

Director of Patient Financial Services

Teresa Carrasco is the Director of Patient Financial Services at Hidalgo Medical Services. She was born and raised in Bayard NM, and graduated from Cobre High School in 1999. Teresa knew early on that she wanted to stay close to home and somehow contribute to her community. Teresa had a desire to become part of the medical field, like her mother and aunt, but not sure where she would fit in, so she took on many operations positions within the medical industry, specifically at GRMC and another local health care clinic. This journey finally led her into the area of medical billing and coding, and in 2006, she became part of the Hidalgo Medical Services family, in the billing department. With a great thirst to learn all she could about this area, and with the support of her family, Teresa took and passed the painstaking exam to obtain her Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification through the American Academy of Professional Coders organization. She has kept this certification since 2008. In 2018 she decided to add to this and also obtained her Certified Professional Biller (CPB) certification through the same organization. Dually certified, Teresa became the Director of Patient Financial Services in 2017 and continues to grow her knowledge of medical billing and coding and enjoys helping and sharing her knowledge with her colleagues and her Patient Financial Services Team in order to help increase awareness around the importance of correct billing/coding practices, specifically in the FQHC setting.

Teresa strives to lead and empower her team to become a powerful and knowledgeable Patient Financial Services department, while ultimately creating an open and inviting environment where patients can call and/or come visit with our Patient Financial Services Representatives to discuss and work through any billing issues that they may be encountering.

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Steve Chavira

Director of Senior Services

Steve joins HMS with more than 30 years of experience in Sales, Marketing and Public Relations - most of those years in leadership roles. He spent the past 12 years in nonprofit operations. Steve is a die-hard AGGIE and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from New Mexico State University and is in-demand as a motivational speaker and facilitator. Steve and his wife of 35 years, Suzanne, have homes in Silver City and Las Cruces and together they have 2 children. Abigail (26) lives with her husband and two daughters (Charlotte-7 and Coraline-3) in South Orange, New Jersey and Elijah (21) is a senior at NMSU training to become and Air Force pilot. Steve and Suzanne are dog-parents to Hazel (6) and Coco (3.) They enjoy thrift store shopping and face-timing with their granddaughters. As the Director of Senior Services, Steve is committed to helping every member of the team love their job and come to work each day feeling like they’ve got the greatest job in the world. He also wants to make sure every senior across Grant and Hidalgo Counties has the care they need and views HMS as their point of connection to the community.

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Brian Etheridge, MD, FAAP

Pediatric Services Medical Director
Pediatrician
Doctor of Medicine
Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics

New Mexico State University
University of New Mexico
Health Sciences Center School of Medicinea
University of Louisville, School of Medicine

Born and raised in New Mexico, Dr. Etheridge attended New Mexico State University, where he earned his Bachelor's degree in Social Work with minors in both Chemistry and Public Health. Dr. Etheridge completed his medical degree at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center School of Medicine, and his Pediatric Residency at the University of Louisville School of Medicine.

Dr. Etheridge lives in Silver City with his wife, Nancy, and their two children. In his downtime, he enjoys spending time with his family and pets, yard work, and reading. He is proud to call Grant County "home”, and be a part of HMS family, once again.

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Frida Gonzalez, LPCC

Director of Community Behavioral Health
Mental Health Therapist
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Frida Gonzalez is a Mental Health Therapist, and works with a diverse range of mental health issues and enjoys helping and working with anxiety, depression, and grief - working primarily with adults. She got her Bachelors of Arts in Psychology from the University of the Fraser Valley. In 2014 she got her Master of Arts in Counseling from Western New Mexico University and began working at HMS. As a child of immigrant parents and an immigrant herself, Frida enjoys working with bilingual patients as well as culturally diverse populations

As a child of immigrant parents and an immigrant herself, Frida enjoys working with bilingual patients as well as culturally diverse populations. In addition to working and serving the Grant County population, Frida likes to volunteer in the community and serves on a Forums Committee, is a member of 24 Club, and has taught for the Language Institute at WNMU.

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Jamie McMahen

Director of Finance

Jamie McMahen is the Director of Finance at Hidalgo Medical Services. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree from Middle Tennessee State University. After completing her degree, Jamie worked in the music business before returning home to pursue a career at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). Over the next ten years, Jamie gained experience in all areas of the FQHC before accepting her current position at HMS.

Jamie and her four siblings, including her twin brother, were born and raised in a rural town in southwest Arkansas. She is a proud wife and mother of three kids. She enjoys attending concerts, fishing, sports and spending time with her family. Her goal is to help HMS provide excellent care to all patients and continue to make a positive impact in the communities they serve.

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Patrick Nesbitt

Director of Facilities

Patrick Nesbitt received his Journeyman Electrical License in 1981. He traveled the State of New Mexico and West Texas installing commercial electrical and special systems. Pat has been the Director of Facilities at Hidalgo Medical Services since 2017. Prior to this Pat served in the capacity of Maintenance Supervisor and Director of facilities at GRMC from 2007 -2017. Patrick was born and raised in rural New Mexico and knows firsthand how important healthcare is to a rural community. He likes to help people and is in the perfect field to do just that.

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Melissa Palmer, LPCC

Director of Mental Health Specialty Programs
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

Melissa Palmer is the Director of Behavioral Health Specialty Programs at HMS, which includes Comprehensive Community Support Services (CCSS) and New Beginnings Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) programs. She grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and graduated from New Mexico State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 1995, and from Western New Mexico University with a Master of Arts degree in Counseling in 1997. She has been working as a Licensed Counselor in Silver City since 2001, and has worked in Community Mental Health Centers since 2004 through transitions of different agencies to Hidalgo Medical Services in 2015, and has been supervising the Comprehensive Community Support Services program in Silver City since 2012.

Melissa started her career working with children and adolescents utilizing play and art therapy, and has specialized in trauma treatment with clients of all ages throughout her career. She has been facilitating a weekly Seeking Safety therapy group focusing on improving management of substance use disorders and trauma symptoms since 2019.

Melissa feels that the most rewarding part of her job is when clients benefit from learning how to manage behavioral health symptoms and stressors in positive ways, leading them to establish beneficial daily living practices, develop healthy relationships, and ultimately meet their individual recovery goals to lead satisfying and fulfilling lives. She believes there is always hope if people are determined and engaged in services provided by a team of caring professionals working together to help them manage all aspects of their health and well-being. Melissa enjoys hiking, traveling, spending time with family and playing with her dogs in her spare time.

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Don Stephens, MD

Medical Director

Medical Doctor

Don Stephens, MD, graduated from York College of Pennsylvania and attended the MCP/Hahnemann school of medicine. Subsequently, he completed his residency at York Hospital in York, Pennsylvania. Dr. Stephens has worked in a wide variety of environments, including hospital, subacute, urgent care, and nursing home settings. His current spectrum of care at HMS ranges from babies to geriatrics in an outpatient setting. Dr. Stephen is hoping to provide extended care in Silver City until he retires. He was hiking a trail and a recruiter asked him if he would consider a position in Silver City. He then replied yes, but admittedly knew nothing of the community. He initially grew up in a small town and then moved to a college town. When he arrived in Silver City, he was amazed how everyone is friendly and relaxed. Even his grown daughter commented that the constant buzz of other towns was absent. He also noticed the generations of families interacting in the community and noticing these are good traits. He enjoys biking and hiking, science fiction and some fantasy, cooking, smoke BBQ, and considers himself a nerd. In addition, he adds that the Gila National Forest is beautiful and hopes to explore it and not die doing so. He’s happy to be aboard the HMS team.

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Eddeana Ueland

Tu Casa Director

Eddeana has an undergraduate degree in Bachelor’s of Art in Counseling. She attended UNM, Louisiana State to concentrate on Addiction Studies, She Came to New Mexico in 1996. She has extensive knowledge in substance use/abuse disorders. She has worked in Therapeutic communities both in a prison setting and out of prison. She came to New Mexico to assist with the startup of Amity at Fort Stanton where she lived and worked until 2003.

She then worked for Dept. of Corrections as a probation/parole officer for two years. She also worked in the prison as an Addiction Counselor.

In 2009 She came to Grant county to be the clinical supervisor of Yucca Lodge. She was the Yucca Lodge Program Director from 2010-2017 when the DOH relocated Yucca Lodge to Roswell, NM. In 2020 she retired from The Department of Health.