From left: NNMC President Hector Balderas; Joan Hodge, Associate Director, RN to BSN Program; Ellen Trabka, Chair, Nursing & Health Sciences, Interim Provost; Melanie Colgan, Director, Associate Degree Nursing Program; Corrine Flores, Adjunct Nursing Faculty & RN at Presbyterian Espanola Hospital; Brenda Romero, Chief Executive Officer, Presbyterian Espanola Hospital; Theresa Valerio, Chief Nurse Executive, Presbyterian Espanola Hospital and Veronica O’Halloran, Associate Degree Nursing Program Success Coach. Courtesy photo
NNMC NEWS RELEASE
Northern New Mexico College’s (NNMC) Nursing & Health Sciences Department has just received the New Mexico Hospital Association 2026 Commitment to Community Healthcare Award. The award was presented during the 2026 NMHA Quality Awards on September 30, 2026, at Sandia Resort & Casino.
The Commitment to Community Healthcare Award recognizes an individual or organization nominated by a hospital for actively supporting efforts to improve community health. Honorees demonstrate meaningful collaboration with hospitals and community-based partners to address healthcare-related challenges in their communities.
Northern was nominated by Presbyterian Española Hospital (PEH) in recognition of its commitment to nursing education. PEH emphasized the importance of the relationship they have with NNMC in preparing high quality and motivated graduate nurses to fill critical nursing needs within Española and beyond.
During her acceptance speech, Nursing & Health Sciences Department Chair Ellen Trabka said, “You really can’t get healthcare in Northern New Mexico without encountering one of our graduates.”
“At NNMC, we have worked hard to provide high-quality nursing education at both the associate and baccalaureate levels,” Trabka said. “Many of our students come from Northern New Mexico, have deep family and community ties there and want to remain in their communities to care for the people they know and love. We are proud to serve our community by preparing nurses who provide high-quality care and help meet critical workforce needs.”
Trabka expressed gratitude for the department’s partnership with Presbyterian Española Hospital, and thanked Presbyterian for providing clinical experiences for NNMC students and hiring Northern graduates. She also noted that several of the hospital’s nurses give back by serving as faculty and helping to educate the next generation of nurses.
“Partnerships like these are essential to the strength of rural healthcare,” Trabka said.
The factors Presbyterian cited in nominating Northern were:
- Mission-driven nursing education preparing culturally competent nurses to deliver safe, patient-centered care across Northern New Mexico.
- Critical workforce pipeline for rural communities, helping address local nursing shortages through a “train locally, hire locally” approach.
- Strong partnership with Presbyterian Española Hospital provides hands-on clinical training and direct workforce development.
- 57 NNMC nursing graduates hired by PEH in the last 36 months, supporting workforce stability across multiple hospital departments.
- Local graduates are more likely to remain in the community, strengthening long-term healthcare access, cultural competence and patient trust.
- Impact: Expands the rural healthcare workforce, improves patient care and advances health equity throughout the Espanola Valley.
Learn more about Northern’s CNA, LPN, RN and BSN programs at https://nnmc.edu/academics/
About Northern:
Northern New Mexico College has served the rural communities of Northern New Mexico for over a century. Since opening in 1909 as the Spanish American Normal School in El Rito, NM, the College has provided affordable access to quality academic programs that meet the changing educational, economic and cultural needs of the region.
Northern is an open-admissions institution offering the most affordable bachelor’s programs in the Southwest. Now one of the state’s four regional comprehensive institutions, with its main campus in Española, Northern offers more than 50 bachelor’s, associate, and certificate programs in arts & human sciences, film & digital media, STEM programs, business, education, liberal arts, and nursing. The College has reintroduced technical trades in partnership with two local unions and five public school districts through its new co-located Branch Community College, the first of its kind in the state’s history. Northern is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) and has earned prestigious program specific accreditations for its engineering, nursing, education, and business programs. Learn more at https://nnmc.edu/.
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