New School-Based Health Center Bridges Medical Gap for Moriarty-Edgewood Students

MORIARTY, N.M. – Students in the Moriarty-Edgewood School District (MESD) no longer need to travel to Albuquerque or wait months for critical appointments to receive medical care. Thanks to a new School-Based Health Center (SBHC) located directly on the Moriarty High School campus, primary care and behavioral health services are now just a walk down the hall.

Sponsored by Presbyterian Medical Services (PMS), the center is designed to eliminate the logistical hurdles that often plague rural communities, such as lack of transportation, long travel times, and parents needing to take time off work.

Immediate Access in a Virtual Age

The clinic currently operates on a telehealth model that emphasizes speed and convenience. A student can walk into the clinic, have a virtual appointment with a provider via computer, and return to class immediately afterward.

“I hope that it relieves the burden of having to leave school… and relieves the burden of having parents have to take off work,” said the district’s nurse, Donzlynn Chavez. “If they use us as a resource… we can get them seen and not have to even leave school.”

The center addresses minor illnesses, injuries, and mental health needs. While it refers patients out for issues requiring in-person intervention (like physical exams), its impact on mental health accessibility has been profound.

Beating the Waitlist

In Torrance County, wait times for mental health appointments can currently stretch up to six months. The SBHC has been able to cut that wait down to a single week.

“We’ve had several students that have had unmet mental health needs,” Chavez noted. She described one student who was able to get assessed immediately, set up weekly appointments, and rapidly improve their attendance and physical well-being. “We saw that individual completely change in their demeanor.”

The Architect Behind the Project

While the clinic is sponsored by PMS, the “bootstraps up” effort to bring it to the district was led by Donzlynn (Worthington) Chavez, a 2014 graduate of Moriarty High School.

Hired in September 2021, Chavez returned to her alma mater with a mandate to navigate the complex grant applications and assessments required to open the center—a task that had stalled previous attempts. A registered nurse and graduate of the UNM College of Nursing, Chavez felt “called back” to apply her public health passion to her home community.

“I truly never pictured myself coming back to my own high school,” Chavez admitted. “But now that I’m here, I feel like I was called back to take the knowledge, and bring it back to the community to help them.”

Looking Ahead The long-term vision for the program is to transition from a virtual model to a “brick-and-mortar” facility with in-person medical, behavioral, and dental providers. This expansion would ideally allow the center to serve not just students and staff, but the wider community as well.

How to Sign Up Parents interested in registering their students for primary care or behavioral health services can contact Chavez directly for paperwork.

• Phone: 505-452-7190
• Email: donzlynn.worthington@mesd.us