Sandoval County commissioners unanimously voted to approve health facilities agreements with UNM Sandoval County Regional Medical Center and Presbyterian Healthcare Services during their meeting Thursday.

The money comes from a voter-approved 4.25-mill property tax for health services. The county expects to collect $13.8 million.

Presbyterian Hospital is expected to open its location east of Unser and north of Black Arroyo Road, in the fall of 2011. UNM Hospital, which will be located in the City Center, expects to open in the first quarter of 2012.

While the hospitals are in the gestation stage, the county will collect the property taxes to be used for healthcare services.

These proceeds will go into an accumulation fund and the county will distribute half of those funds to the first hospital that opens. The other half will go to the hospital that opens next.

After the hospitals begin operations, the county will start collections for the fixed distribution fund. This money will be awarded on a monthly basis. Twenty percent of the money will go to UNM for an inpatient behavioral health program with at least eight beds. Forty percent of the funds will be distributed to both Presbyterian and UNM in consideration of acute services.

Starting in July of 2014, the funding formula will change. UNM will still receive 20 percent of the funds for behavioral health programs, but 40 percent of the money will be distributed according to emergency room visits and the other 40 percent will be distributed according to the number of in-patient hospital stays.

The contract also dictates that Presbyterian Health Service’s health plan must allow UNM to be an in-network provider for county residents.

The contract also stipulates that both Presbyterian and UNM establish community advisory boards to review the operations and provide input on the services and the care provided. Sandoval County has the right to appoint two board members.

District 5 Commissioner Darryl Madalena (D-Jemez Pueblo) said he would like to see American Indian representation on the board. Sandoval County has nine pueblos, three Navajo chapters and part of the Jicarilla Apache Reservation.

Madalena questioned County Manager Juan Vigil why the tribal governors weren’t invited to the table in discussions on the hospitals.

Vigil said he met with Ken Lucero, the chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council Health Committee. Vigil said Lucero didn’t refer him to anyone else.

Madalena said Lucero is a knowledgeable person on healthcare issues, but doesn’t speak for all American Indians.

“I feel that the governors of the pueblos should have had a choice,” Madalena said.

Madalena also said it’s important for the hospitals to start operations because of the sparse medical coverage on Indian lands.

Presbyterian plans to employee 500 people, have 140 physicians and a payroll of $50 million. The hospital will have 66 private patient rooms, a full-service emergency department with a helicopter pad, a state-of-the-art women’s center, labor and delivery and a neonatal intensive care unit. Presbyterian also will offer intensive care, operating rooms and a catheterization lab.

The Sandoval County Regional Medical Center is a joint hospital project of Legacy Hospital Partners Inc., of Plano, Texas, and the University of New Mexico Medical Group.

Initially, the hospital plans to employee 800 people, have 33 physicians, 125 beds and be open to community doctors.