Otero County Healthcare Organizing Project (OCHO)

The Otero County Healthcare Organizing (OCHO) Project was formed in response to reduced reproductive healthcare access after Christus Health, a Catholic-based organization, acquired the region's only Level III trauma center. The project addresses the impact of religious directives replacing evidence-based care and limiting healthcare for residents including military personnel, the Mescalero Apache tribe, and people who are incarcerated at the local federal prison. OCHO continues to engage with rural New Mexican community members to educate others about the potential harms of hospital mergers and acquisitions, religious refusals, and to demand more public engagement in these processes. Its priorities include protecting access to abortion, reproductive and gender-affirming care particularly amidst acquisitions by religiously based entities.