In the 1920s Albuquerque, like many other cities in the Southwest, became a mecca for people suffering from respiratory diseases and allergies who seek relief in the warm, dry climate. Today, advanced medical care is available at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, which encompasses the following patient facilities: UNM Hospital, New Mexico's only Level 1 Trauma Center; Carrie Tingley Hospital for pediatric rehabilitation and orthopaedics; UNM Children's Hospital, currently undergoing a $239 million, 476,555-square-foot expansion scheduled for completion in 2007; UNM Cancer Research & Treatment Center, New Mexico's only academic center for cancer treatment; UNM Psychiatric Center; and UNM Children's Psychiatric Hospital.
Albuquerque's other major hospitals are the 453-bed Presbyterian Hospital, New Mexico's largest acute care hospital; Albuquerque Regional Medical Center, which specializes in orthopedics, ophthalmology, neurology and neurosurgery, oncology, and cardiology; and Lovelace Medical Center, where the first astronauts were tested and which has been ranked as one of America's best hospitals.