House Call: Dedicated to Artesia General Hospital
A Lifelong Dedication to Artesia General Hospital
By: Joe Schiel
For more than 44 years I’ve been involved with Artesia General Hospital. I moved to Artesia in August of 1979 to work in the oil fields. My wife, Charlotte, followed shortly after in February of 1980 to begin working as a nurse at the former Artesia General Hospital on Roselawn.
We both immediately signed up as volunteers for the hospital. We’d drive to and from Roswell to help residents from the University of New Mexico medical school get to their weekend shifts in the emergency room. And in 1982 I began dressing up as Santa Claus for the hospital’s holiday activities—something I’ve continued to do every year since.
When the oil fields shut down in 1984, I moved on to teach various science courses for seven years in Carlsbad, followed by 11 years of teaching in Artesia. Something worth noting is that I eventually taught a nurses’ aide course in Artesia and had the great joy of seeing several of my students move on to work at Artesia General and give back to our community. Over the next 14 years, Charlotte and I also organized medical records, supported the pharmacy staff, facilitated paperwork for credentialing, and volunteered for many other odds and ends jobs.
Our volunteer experience at Artesia General deepened our connection with the community and reinforced the value of supporting our local health care system and its employees.
The Start of the Foundation
In 2001 I joined the hospital’s governing board. I remained a member until 2008 and served as the board president for several of those years. It was during that time I began advocating for a hospital foundation. I knew our hospital would keep growing to meet the health care needs of our residents, and I understood donor dollars were integral to making that happen. After a couple years of being vocal, it was suggested that I start the foundation. So, I did. With the help of Chip Camps and the New Mexico Community Foundation, we created the Artesia General Hospital Fund and began raising money for employee scholarships and a permanent fund.
The employee scholarship fund exists today and is open to all employees, not just providers and clinicians. From day one, we believed that every person who works in the hospital is important and deserves the chance to further their development. It’s been incredible to see the fund support the bright futures of employees from different departments.
In 2018, the Artesia General Hospital Foundation, an independent 501c3, was officially created. While I no longer actively fundraise for the foundation—a volunteer post I held for many years—I remain a board member, donor and advocate. The foundation recently received a $425,000 grant to start a women’s clinic and I am confident the team will continue to raise more and more critical dollars.
Strengthening Community Health Care Together
Our community may be small, but it’s essential that we have access to high-quality health care. Over the years I’ve received a lot of care at Artesia General, including several major surgeries. We are fortunate the hospital has talented providers and many top-notch services—right now, anyone can go there and receive excellent care. But with the closest major hospital being 170 miles away in Lubbock, Texas, we must continue to support Artesia General—whether it be with our time, talents or financially—as it expands its services and upgrades its facilities.
These days, my daughter and I enjoy delivering popcorn and cookies to the hospital employees that work so hard to care for us (we recently made 2,400 cookies). I’ve often said, “We have to grow our own.” When we come together to support local health care, we’re investing in the future of our loved ones and neighbors, and fostering a stronger culture of well-being right here in the place we call home.