Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Good Works:

Checking in with Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada

Amy Schmidt

L.E. Baskow

Executive Director Amy Schmidt of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada at its Ruffin Family Clinic on Tuesday, April 26, 2016.

Amy Schmidt of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada

Title: Executive Director

Agency address: Ruffin Family Clinic, 1240 N. Martin Luther King Blvd. / Paradise Park Clinic, 4770 Harrison Drive, Suite 200

Agency phone number: 702-967-0530

Agency website: vmsn.org

Hours of operation: Ruffin Family Clinic, M, W-F: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Tu: noon-8 p.m. / Paradise Park Clinic, Tu, Th: noon-8 p.m.

What does your organization do?

VMSN is volunteers, donors and community partners working together to provide free health care services for uninsured, low-income individuals and families, including free office visits, diagnostic testing, medications and supportive services. Even with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, approximately 300,000 Nevadans still remain uninsured. VMSN’s unique efforts to combat this disparity within the community have included partnering with area hospitals and collaborating with other nonprofit agencies. We believe that health care is a right, not a privilege.

Who are your clients?

Residents of Southern Nevada who live at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($48,500 for a family of four) and are not eligible for health insurance coverage through Medicaid/Medicare, or cannot obtain affordable health insurance coverage for themselves or their families. VMSN is a vital part of our community’s health care system, providing a bridge for some and a safety net for many others.

When and why was your organization established?

VMSN was co-founded in 2008 by Dr. Florence Jameson, a Las Vegas-based OB/GYN, and Dr. Gard Jameson, a professor of philosophy and a philanthropist. Modeled after the first Volunteers in Medicine clinic, which opened its doors in 1993 in Hilton Head, South Carolina, VMSN’s health-care delivery model utilizes a combination of volunteerism, locally donated laboratory and radiology services and nationally donated medications to provide preventative health care and to treat acute and chronic illnesses for the most vulnerable residents of Southern Nevada. In January 2010, VMSN opened its first clinic at Paradise Park in Southeast Las Vegas. We opened our second clinic, the flagship Ruffin Family Clinic, on August 25, 2015. Both clinics are located in identified high-need areas close to social services agencies and local hospitals.

What services do you offer that you think the community knows about?

Over the last six years, we have provided primary care to the uninsured residents of Southern Nevada, including more than 25,000 medical appointments, approximately $2.5 million in free diagnostic tests and $10 million in free medications.

What services do you offer that you think the community doesn’t know about?

With the opening of the Ruffin Family Clinic, it became the goal of VMSN’s Board of Directors and staff to be able to treat our clients holistically, under one roof, by expanding our services to include behavioral health and social services, dental health services, and eventually vision care.

What has been your most exciting professional project to date?

Opening the Ruffin Family Clinic was an exhilarating process — being present as it jumped off the blueprints and onto the landscape of Martin Luther King Boulevard and knowing the impact it would have on the lives of those that sought refuge here was an amazing process.

What can people do to get involved in the cause you serve?

Volunteer! VMSN does what it does for our community primarily due to its core value of teamwork. We are able to deliver $4 in free health care services for every $1 donated largely due to our volunteers. You can volunteer to work at one of our clinics. You can volunteer at one of our fundraising events. You can volunteer to simply help us spread the word and find more volunteers! Sign up today at www.vmsn.org!

How do you motivate people to get involved?

These days I live by my brother-in-law’s mantra: “Do what you can do.” And I encourage others to do the same. Chris was diagnosed with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, almost two years ago, and every day since he’s been doing what he can do for as long as he can do it. I like that message. It doesn’t have to be a big thing to have a big impact. If you skip drinking a $5 latte or watching another episode of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” once a week, you could donate more than $250 or 50 hours of service to your favorite charity next year.

Where do you see your organization in five years?

VMSN will be serving the health care needs of thousands of uninsured or underinsured Southern Nevadans at free clinics across the Las Vegas Valley by staying true to its core values of teamwork, respect, urgency, service and transparency. One day our vision of ensuring no man, woman or child in Southern Nevada will go without access to health care will be fulfilled.

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