University of New Mexico Hospital has just opened its new Critical Care Tower (CCT), a 570,000-square-foot expansion that began receiving patients on Sunday.

The facility adds significant emergency and intensive care capacity, and marks the hospital’s most substantial clinical expansion in over a decade.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony held September 26, hospital executives, state officials and university leaders gathered to recognize the project’s completion and the years of planning and construction leading up to it.
“This is the largest expansion of our clinical delivery system in 15 years,” said Dr. Mike Richards, CEO of the UNM Health System and executive vice president of UNM Health Sciences. “What you see around you is the culmination of years of dedication, diligence, and vision from countless people.”

The tower includes a 68-bed adult emergency department, 96 intensive care beds, 18 new operating rooms, and a second helipad. It also houses advanced clinical technology intended to support both patient care and medical education. As the state’s largest teaching hospital, UNM Hospital has incorporated dedicated space for training, including a fourth-floor “Sky Campus” designed for staff and resident physicians.

UNM Hospital CEO Kate Becker credited the construction teams and hospital staff for their long-term commitment to the project. “The opening of the Critical Care Tower is possible because of your commitment to improving health care services for all,” Becker said.

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, who spoke at the event, emphasized the CCT’s role in strengthening the state’s emergency preparedness. “Whatever emergency comes our way, this campus, this university, this state will be ready,” she said.

The facility has been in planning since 2015. With construction completed in August, staff have spent the last two months moving in, conducting simulations, and preparing for the transfer of patients from older units.

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