For more than a year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico’s Blue Door Neighborhood Center℠ has offered resources, classes, food and connections to help Albuquerque residents improve health outcomes.
Opened in August 2024, the center in Albuquerque’s South Valley has held 300 events and welcomed more than 1,100 people. Programming has included classes and services targeting chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease, as well as behavioral health and maternal and infant health.
The bilingual BDNC team works with local organizations and health care providers to help address community needs, including the monthly Fresh Harvest Market, which provides no-cost bags of produce, cooking demonstrations and fitness classes.
“We have visitors who come in for different types of reasons,” says BDNC Community Affairs Concierge Aldo Garcia, including questions about health coverage and claims, no matter their insurance provider. “They come in with a weight on their shoulders, and when they leave from here, they actually feel relief.”
Residents John and Pat Lopez began attending the center’s exercise classes as Pat recovered from an injury. They enjoy the atmosphere and meeting new people.
“It’s a very gentle kind of a program,” John Lopez says. “It’s not judgmental. It’s not demanding. It just has a nice feel to it.”