THE LONGEST WAIT
New Mexico's Fight to Heal
A Documentary by Anton Sage
The Film
New Mexico is losing doctors faster than any other state in the nation. One in three counties no longer has hospital‑based maternity care. A December 2025 poll found that 65% of New Mexico doctors are considering leaving – with 83% citing a broken medical malpractice system as the top reason.
The Longest Wait is a feature documentary that follows the families, physicians, and lawmakers who fought to reverse this crisis – and the powerful forces that tried to stop them.
The Stories
We've captured the voices of people who have lived this crisis:
Jay Newton‑Small – An independent journalist who was six months pregnant, needed a cardiologist, and was told the soonest appointment was two months away.
Dr. Andrew Ropp – A physician who was sued twice despite being cleared 6‑0 by a review board. His malpractice insurance forced him to close his clinic.
Think New Mexico – The nonpartisan think tank that drafted the ten‑point plan to solve the shortage.
State Legislators – Sen. Martin Hickey, Sen. Gerald Ortiz y Pino, Rep. Christine Chandler, and Rep. Marian Matthews – who fought for malpractice reform, the interstate compact, and student loan expansion.
Ed Williams – The investigative reporter who exposed the dark money group funded by trial lawyers.
The Crisis
New Mexico is the only state in the U.S. that lost practicing physicians between 2019 and 2024. Nearly 40% of the state's doctors are aged 60 or older and expected to retire by 2030. The state needs 2,326 more EMTs just to meet national benchmarks, and 845,000 New Mexicans live in behavioral health deserts.
Behind these numbers are real people: families who have lost loved ones because care was too far away, physicians who have been destroyed by a broken system, and communities that have been left behind.
The Fight
In 2026, a bipartisan coalition passed historic reforms:
HB 99 – Medical malpractice reform, capping punitive damages and raising the standard of proof
HB 66 – Student loan repayment expansion to $300,000 over four years
SB 1 – Joining the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
But the fight isn't over. Eight other compacts – for EMTs, psychologists, and other health care workers – passed the House unanimously but died in the Senate, risking $211 million in federal funding.
The Film
We are currently in post‑production. With your support, we will travel across New Mexico to capture the visual reality of this crisis – the closed maternity wards, the understaffed clinics, the rural hospitals on the brink of closure.
We are making two versions:
A 20‑minute short for community screenings and policy briefings
A 60–90 minute feature for broadcast and festivals
The Team
Anton Sage – Director / Camera / Editing
A New Mexico‑based documentary filmmaker and recipient of the New Mexico Documentary Incubator Grant (NMDIG). His work focuses on social justice, rural communities, and the intersection of policy and lived experience.
Tori Lutge – Sound Operator
Carla Sanchez – Video Survey
Eric Lopototsky – Colorist
Support
the New Mexico Documentary Incubator Grant (NMDIG)
Con Alma Health Foundation.
The Rocking JT Foundation.
Get Involved
Watch – Stay tuned for community screenings across New Mexico.
Share – Follow us on social media and spread the word.
Support – Donations are tax‑deductible through our fiscal sponsor.
Contact
Anton Sage
Anton Sage Studios LLC
(505) 359-8850
antonsage156@gmail.com
www.antonsagestudios.com/documentaries
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The Longest Wait: New Mexico's Fight to Heal
A Documentary by Anton Sage | Anton Sage Studios LLC
About the Film
The Longest Wait is a feature documentary about New Mexico's critical health care worker shortage—and the fight to reverse it.
New Mexico is losing doctors faster than any other state. One in three counties has lost hospital-based maternity care. In a 2025 poll, 65% of the state's doctors said they were considering leaving, with 83% citing a broken medical malpractice system.
The film follows the patients, physicians, legislators, and policy experts who fought for years to pass landmark reforms in 2026, including medical malpractice caps, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, and a $300,000 student loan repayment program. It also investigates the dark money opposition that tried to stop them.
The project is an official selection of the New Mexico Documentary Incubator Grant (NMDIG) program and is supported by the Con Alma Health Foundation.
Current Status
Production Status: Post-Production
Interviews Completed: 9 (legislators, physicians, patients, policy experts)
Rough Cut: Submitted to NMDIG – July 31, 2026
Final Delivery: September 30, 2026
Interview Subjects
Sen. Gerald Ortiz y PinoFormer Chair, Senate Health & Public Affairs CommitteeSen. Martin HickeyState Senator (D‑Albuquerque); Retired PhysicianRep. Christine ChandlerChair, House Judiciary CommitteeRep. Marian MatthewsState Representative (D‑Albuquerque)Fred Nathan Jr.Founder & Executive Director
Filmmaker's Statement
I make documentaries because memory is not guaranteed. Moments pass. Voices fade. The people who shape history often do so quietly in this days, and their stories are on risk to be untold…
New Mexico is full of such moments. We have all lived them, and waiting has become a way of life.
The Longest Wait is my attempt to preserve those moments. To honor the people who refused to accept the status quo.
Documentary filmmakers are historians of the present. We use cameras to build an archive of our time; not just events, but emotions, silences, and quiet courage..
– Anton Sage
50 Years Raíces: Half a Century of Sonic Resistance”
(Pre-Production)A feature documentary celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of the Raíces Collective at KUNM. In 1976, a small group of Chicano, Latino, and Nuevomexicano activists, artists, and broadcasters came together to create a space where their communities could hear themselves—in Spanish, in their own voices, telling their own stories. Half a century later, Raíces remains a vital force in New Mexico public radio KUNM , a living archive of the Chicano movement, and a testament to the power of community‑driven media. The film traces its evolution from a volunteer grassroots program to an institution that has shaped the cultural and political landscape of New Mexico
