From left to right: HMS Board of Directors member, Barbara Guber, HMS Board of Directors former Chair, Bill Rogers, HMS Board of Directors Vice Chair, Bill Walter, outgoing HMS Board of Directors Secretary, Dr. Gilda Baeza Ortego, and HMS Chief Executive Officer, Dan Otero.Silver City, NM – Outgoing member of the Hidalgo Medical Services (HMS) Board of Directors, Dr. Gilda Baeza Ortego, was honored recently for her past leadership. Baeza Ortego has served on the HMS Board of Directors since September 2008 in a variety of roles, including participating on the Executive, Bylaws, and Quality Improvement Committees.

Baeza Ortego moved to Silver City in 2007, with her husband, to become the University Librarian at Western New Mexico University (WNMU). A very visible face in Silver City, Baeza Ortego has enthusiastically served on the Board of HMS and as a member of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) Council 8003, the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning, and the President's Society of WNMU. She also has volunteered with the Fiesta Latina and the Southwest Festival of the Written Word, while remaining an active member of the American Library Association, the New Mexico Library Association, the Medical Library Association, and the Borderlands Library Association.

Dr. Baeza Ortego has a Bachelor's degree (Biology major, Chemistry minor) from Texas Woman's University. She earned a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Texas. In 2001, she received her Ph.D. in Library and Information Studies from Texas Woman's University. While pursuing her doctorate, she selected Health Studies and Life Sciences as her cognate areas. Dr. Baeza Ortego has presented at professional conferences and authored articles on topics ranging from librarianship, higher education administration, Mexican American/Borderlands Studies, women's issues, and health studies.

"The leadership and community involvement that Ms. Baeza Ortego has demonstrated as an HMS Board member is much appreciated. We will miss her very much," said HMS Board Chair, Carmen Acosta. "Each member of the HMS Board of Directors, including Gilda, is a highly qualified and committed group of individuals who positively support the mission and vision of this organization. I appreciate Gilda's years of service to HMS, the patients that we serve, and to our community," stated Dan Otero, HMS CEO.

To learn more about HMS, please visit www.hmsnm.org or www.facebook/hidalgomedicalservices.