About Us

Lovelace is comprised of Lovelace Medical Group/New Mexico Heart Institute, Lovelace Women’s Hospital, Lovelace Medical Center, Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center, Lovelace Westside Hospital, Lovelace Regional Hospital and Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital. Across its five hospitals, 38 sites of care and seven outpatient therapy clinics, Lovelace has 619 inpatient beds and employs a team of more than 3,200, including over 300 health care providers. Lovelace continues to invest in our community, providing more than $99 million in unfunded care and supporting local nonprofit and community organizations with more than $315,000 in charitable contributions and community support in 2023. From the first and only hospital in New Mexico dedicated to women’s health to the state’s only hospital devoted exclusively to cardiovascular care, Lovelace is a leader in meeting the healthcare needs of this region. 

2024 Overview:

• Employees: 3,500
• Emergency Department visits: 95,395
• Surgeries: 20,233
• Inpatient admissions: 23,113
• Newborn deliveries: 3,159
• Outpatient visits: 384,297
• Lovelace Medical Group providers: over 300
• Number of beds: 619
• Charitable contributions & community support: $404,000

Lovelace Health System History

The history of Lovelace Health System begins in the 1880s, when missionaries and philanthropists from the Midwest extended their mission of caring to Albuquerque. In 1901, they built the city’s first hospital and a year later, they opened a sanitarium to care for the growing ranks of tuberculosis patients seeking health in the high, dry air of Albuquerque.

In 1912, a young doctor named William Randolph Lovelace moved his frontier practice to the city. Before long he was renowned for his skill as a surgeon and his extraordinary compassion for his patients. Joined by Dr. Edgar T. Lassetter and eventually by other physicians, Dr. Lovelace modeled his pioneering group practice, the Lovelace Clinic, after Minnesota’s respected Mayo Clinic.

World War II changed life in unimaginable ways, spurring technological, social and economic growth in the American West – and demanding a new vision for the delivery of health care. With medicine rapidly advancing, ace pilot and decorated veteran Dr. Randy Lovelace followed in his uncle’s footsteps, joining the Lovelace Clinic in 1946. He had already made a name for himself in the field of aviation medicine. As a fellow in surgery at the Mayo Clinic, he worked on the development of the BLB mask, which delivered oxygen to aviators flying at high altitudes. In fact, the “L” in BLB stands for Lovelace.

In the late 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, a new federal agency called NASA announced its first major undertaking: Project Mercury, which would launch the first national manned space capsule into orbit around the earth. Rigorous testing at Lovelace Medical Center narrowed the field to a handful of men who would be known to history as the Mercury 7.

Today, Lovelace Health System is recognized as a force for economic vitality in New Mexico as well as a provider of high quality care to residents of the state.

Leading change has always been part of the Lovelace mission. Today, the Lovelace passion for change, innovation and caring lives on in our commitment to advanced medical technology, patient convenience and high quality health care.

Senior Leadership

Lovelace Senior Leadership Team oversees the operations of the hospitals and all the facilities within Lovelace Health System.

This team embraces and exemplifies all that Lovelace holds in its core vision and annual objectives for the organization’s growth, quality initiatives, commitment to the community, and pledge to its patients and providers.

Lovelace Health System

Cliff Wilson
Chief Executive Officer

Vesta Sandoval, MD
Chief Medical Officer

Meghann Hutchison
Market Chief Financial Officer

Lovelace Medical Center
Heart Hospital of New Mexico at Lovelace Medical Center

Brian Miller
Chief Executive Officer

Abigail Kendall
Chief Nursing Officer

Lovelace Westside Hospital

Sherry Aragon
Chief Operating Officer
Interim Chief Executive Officer

Meghann Hutchison
Chief Financial Officer

Jay Sundheimer, RN
Chief Nursing Officer

Lovelace Women’s Hospital

Sherry Aragon
Chief Operating Officer
Interim Chief Executive Officer

Brenda Holley
Chief Nursing Officer

Meghann Hutchison
Chief Financial Officer

Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital

Melissa Owens
Chief Nursing Officer

Meghann Hutchison
Chief Financial Officer

Lovelace Regional Hospital

Nicholas Shirilla
Chief Executive Officer

Christy Escandon
Chief Nursing Officer

Meghann Hutchison
Chief Financial Officer

Lovelace Medical Group

Michael Kueker
Chief Executive Officer

Tracey Miller
Chief Operating Officer

Volunteer Opportunities

When you become a volunteer at Lovelace Health System, the rewards are many – a smile from a comforted patient, a sincere thank you from a visitor, the fellowship of other volunteers, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Are you ready for such heartfelt rewards?

There are many different types of volunteer opportunities available at our hospitals. Our volunteer staff will work with you to select a volunteer position that best fits your interests, skills and schedule. Here are a few opportunities available:

When you become a volunteer at Lovelace Health System, the rewards are many – a smile from a comforted patient, a sincere thank you from a visitor, the fellowship of other volunteers, and the satisfaction of knowing you’ve made a difference in someone’s life. Are you ready for such heartfelt rewards?

There are many different types of volunteer opportunities available at our hospitals. Our volunteer staff will work with you to select a volunteer position that best fits your interests, skills and schedule. Here are a few opportunities available:

• Assisting families and others in hospital waiting rooms
• Helping visitors at the information desk
• Delivering magazines, mail and flowers
• Helping in numerous departments throughout the hospital
• Escorting patients and families
• Comforting families
• Cuddler program

Volunteer Coordinators by facility:

Lovelace Medical Center
Heart Hospital of NM @ Lovelace Medical Center
Lynn Holloway
Email: lynn.holloway@lovelace.com
Phone: 505.727.2700

Lovelace UNM Rehabilitation Hospital
Lynn Holloway
Email: lynn.holloway@lovelace.com
Phone: 505.727.2700

Lovelace Westside Hospital
Rebecca Poe
Email: rebecca.poe@lovelace.com
Phone: 505.727.7895

Lovelace Women’s Hospital
Rebecca Poe
Email: rebecca.poe@lovelace.com
Phone: 505.727.7895

Volunteer Application

Please print and fill out the forms below and email them to the facility in which you would like to volunteer.

  Volunteer Application

  Hirease Background Sheet