A big help for uninsured

Sunday, May 23, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

A nonprofit group that provides free medical care to people without insurance opened its first clinic in January at a Clark County park. It has seen no shortage of patients. The clinic at Paradise Park, near Tropicana Avenue and McLeod Drive, takes patients by appointment and has been booked well in advance.

Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, the organization that runs the clinic, now plans to expand to a facility in downtown Las Vegas. It is in escrow to buy a property near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Washington Avenue and wants to open a 12,000-square-foot facility. The Las Vegas City Council approved a zoning change Wednesday to pave the way for the group to close on the property on June 2.

As Marshall Allen reported in Tuesday’s Las Vegas Sun, Councilman Ricki Barlow, who represents the area, said there is a great need for the facility. “There are a lot of youth and seniors who have gone for years without appropriate medical care,” Barlow said. “Having a venue such as Volunteers in Medicine coming into my district will fill the void.”

Dr. Florence Jameson, the founder of Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, said the majority of the Paradise Park clinic’s patients are young people or people between 45 and 55 who have lost their jobs but are too young for the government-run Medicare program. “The people in our city are struggling and suffering to an incredible degree from untreated medical illnesses,” she said.

Jameson said the response to the Paradise Park clinic “confirms everything expected and more” about the number of uninsured patients in Las Vegas, particularly in this poor economy. According to estimates, nearly 1 of every 4 Nevadans is without medical insurance.

Barlow’s welcome is unlike the reception the clinic at Paradise Park received. Despite the economically tough times, there was fierce opposition from many of the park’s neighbors who said it was incompatible with a residential area. The Clark County Commission modified the proposal to address some of the neighbors’ concerns, and the clinic appears to be a success.

The group is now raising money for the proposed downtown clinic, which will have space for medical, mental health, dental and vision care. Jameson praised the community for helping the group. The Paradise Park clinic has funding for 18 months of operation, and an anonymous donor is providing more than $400,000 to buy the downtown property for the group.

There are 450 professions, from doctors to pharmacists, who volunteer at the Paradise Park clinic. As well, the medical schools in Clark County have agreements that allow students to help at the clinic.

Given the tremendous need in the community, it is good to see that Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada is off to such a fast start and that people are backing it. We applaud the efforts of the group and its volunteers and hope for continued success with the new facility downtown.