HMS, serving Hidalgo and Grant Counties, has been awarded four distinctions for quality health care. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a government agency, recognizes community health centers, such as HMS, for outstanding quality healthcare delivery. The four honors extended to HMS for 2021 include: The Health Center Quality Leader Bronze Award for Community Health Centers, the COVID-19 Testing award recognition, Advancing HIT for Quality award, and Patient Centered Medical Home quality award.

Each recognition focuses on a specific aspect of operations. The Health Center Quality Leader award recognizes organization in the top 21% to 30% of all community health centers in the United States for Clinical Quality Improver CQMs.

The COVID-19 Testing award recognizes health centers that tested more than 50% of their 2020 reported UDS patient populations. Also, they had a response rate of at least 50% to the weekly Health Center COVID-19 survey.

The Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality award recognized HMS for the utilization of HIT services, for advancing Telehealth, patient engagement, interoperability, and collection of social determinants of health. This award recognizes HMS focus on the purpose of increasing access to care and to advance quality care.

The Patient Centered Medical Home award is given to those community health centers who have demonstrated five core functions of focus. These include comprehensive care, patient-centered care, coordinated care, accessible services, and quality and safety.

Under the leadership of CEO, Dan Otero, HMS for the past three years received several recognitions for excellence in different areas of operation. As shared by Otero, “The value of service is to respectfully serve others through high-quality and compassionate healthcare delivery and community health. Even though COVID has made the past year and half challenging, a focus on quality service and healthcare has always been of utmost importance and never more so than during COVID. Appreciation is extended to all within the HMS health care system who have earned these recognitions.”

HRSA is focused on providing health care to people who are geographically isolated and those who are economically or medically vulnerable. HMS, a non-profit organization, is a grantee of HRSA funding to assist in operations in Hidalgo and Grant County. HMS is proud to serve more than 15,000 patients each year, seeing patients for medical, mental, and dental needs.