Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Clinic returning to health

Two years ago, the valley's main public health provider for low-income people was on the verge of collapse.

Today, with an imminent recovery, officials at the Community Health Centers of Southern Nevada are at the drawing board planning a new facility.

At one time, the clinic generated 36,000 visits a year from indigent patients, children and those on Medicaid and Medicare.

But poor leadership had allowed the clinic to deteriorate to a state of organizational "meltdown," said George Cantu, clinic chairman of the board.

"Payroll taxes were not being paid, paychecks were bouncing, creditors were going unpaid and, most unfortunate of all, patient services were being curtailed," he said.

Patient visitor count dropped to 25,000, and Medicaid membership, the clinic's bread and butter, dropped from 1,700 to 800.

In 1994, the Public Health Service, a major source of funding for the clinic, agreed to continue funding pending formation of a new board of directors and recruitment of new leadership.

Since then, the clinic has reduced its debt from $2.7 million to $1.1 million -- a 59 percent reduction, says Ed Martinez, chief executive officer since early last year.

"We grew about 7 percent over last year," Martinez said. "Over the last two years, our activity has gone up about 15 percent."

Visitor count, he expects, will jump back up to 36,000 this year.

"The clinic is once again providing the community with vital medical, dental and mental health services while maintaining fiscal responsibility," Martinez said.

He attributes the turnaround to teamwork among personnel.

"It has been a combination of working on financial systems to tighten up controls, developing resources of revenue and cutting back on our costs."

The Internal Revenue Service has also been cooperative, he said. To the $1.1 million in back payroll taxes, it agreed to write off accrued interest and penalties. Today, the debt is down to $750,000.

The Public Health Service has continued grants of $1.4 million a year on an ongoing basis with requirements that the clinic provide comprehensive primary care to all and provide a sliding fee schedule for those without insurance.

The clinic also has continued its Medicaid contract with the state, which now covers 2,100 members and makes up 27 percent of its revenue.

The state has granted $100,000 to the clinic for prenatal outreach and has agreed to fund a program for screening children for dental problems.

Martinez and his staff have been successful in securing a $25,000-a-year grant for three years from United Way to help with dental care for homeless children. They've also secured another United Way grant for $10,000 a year for three years for prenatal care for high-risk mothers.

One financial drain has lingered: the lease at its 916 W. Owens Ave. facility.

It runs $17,500 a month and will expire in 2 1/2 years.

But because of commitments from local government, a new building for the facility will likely become a reality.

The city of Las Vegas has donated five acres for a building at Enterprise Park at Martin Luther King Boulevard and Owens for construction of a new clinic.

A $150,000 Community Development Block Grant was approved by the city of North Las Vegas for design of the building.

And the County Commission has approved a $2 million construction grant.

As a result, the clinic will be able to build an 18,000-square-foot building, matching its current size.

"The clinic will once again be able to respond to the medical needs of the community's low-income, medically underserved population," Martinez said.

But he sets his sights higher and is looking for additional funding sources.

"We would like something a little bigger, because we would like to develop a dental clinic and a senior medical clinic," he said. "We're on the road to doing a lot more for the community."

archive