Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Letter to the editor:

Pointless hurdle hurts patients

As a provider on the front line of dental care, my recent experience with Remote Area Medical's volunteer corps in Pahrump has shed some light on the issue of out-of-state medical and dental licensure.

RAM provides basic medical, dental and vision services free of charge, so there were hundreds of people who received care at the clinic in Pahrump. The majority of these people slept overnight, waiting for hours to receive services. Some came from as far as northern California and southern Arizona. However, many of the health care providers traveling from various states to volunteer were stuck doing paperwork or janitorial services because their medical licenses were not valid in Nevada.

Health care providers who want to volunteer their time should be able to practice within their field from state to state. There must be a national healthcare database for volunteers in this country.