Kelcie Grega
The Stallman Touro Clinic at Shade Tree in North Las Vegas spans 740 square feet, with three examination rooms, a laboratory, reception area and nurses station.
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019 | 2 a.m.
Those arriving at the Shade Tree, a shelter for battered and abused women in North Las Vegas, are often in crisis mode and desperate for refuge. That includes much-needed medical care, which will soon be more readily available at a newly renovated clinic at the shelter.
The Stallman Touro Clinic spans 740 square feet, with three examination rooms, a laboratory, reception area and nurses station.
“This is a blessing because many of the women and children come here with no medications, and haven’t seen a doctor in many years, if at all,” said Linda Perez, executive director at the Shade Tree. “By providing this service to them, we’re able to provide their basic medical needs and stress-related illnesses. We’re like a full-functioning clinic now, and they have access to it.”
Tutor Perini Building Co. coordinated with Las Vegas-area subcontractors to redesign the clinic. It’s a $500,000 project.
“As a long-time resident of Vegas, it’s an honor to work for a company that gives back to the community,” said Chris Creasey, a director of business development at Tutor Perini Building Co., during a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday. “This is what happens when a community comes together to make things happen.”
The clinic first opened 10 years ago in partnership with Touro University Nevada to provide free services for Shade Tree residents. But the facility was in desperate need of an upgrade, said Phil Tobin, director of the School of Physician Assistant Studies at Touro and board chair at the Shade Tree.
“The clinic used to be just a big room, and exam rooms didn’t have privacy, which limits … our ability to help people,” he said. “Now we can see four patients at once, which means we will see more patients overall when the clinic is opened.”
The benefits of the clinic expansion are two-fold, Tobin said, as it will also provide more learning opportunities for health care students in the area.
“Not only will we have BA students, but also medical students from the Touro program,” he said. “We’re also getting volunteers from the UNLV Pediatric Clinic. Whenever a medical community has all these health professionals working together, that just makes good health care for everybody.”
The clinic will be up and running Tuesday.
