Health organization loses contract at senior center

Art Nadler

Wednesday, July 28, 1999 | 10:40 a.m.

The Las Vegas Housing Authority has terminated its lease agreement with a nonprofit group that had operated a medical clinic for elderly residents at the Howard Cannon Senior Center for 10 years.

Community Health Centers of Southern Nevada was informed by letter that its contract would be terminated at the end of July. The authority is currently seeking proposals from others to provide medical services at the senior complex, 340 N. 11th St.

Community Health Centers, which has been operating the senior clinic two days a week since February, will bid again for the contract to run the clinic five days a week, Chairman Louis Conner said. Even if it does not get the new contract, it will continue to keep the clinic open until the new group takes over, the company said.

A primary care physician is available at the clinic Tuesdays and Fridays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The board of directors of Community Health Centers of Southern Nevada accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Ken Moore, who made the controversial decision to limit the clinic's hours, Monday night.

Conner said the board was unhappy with Moore's performance and his failure to meet his contractual expectations.

Moore could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

A management team will be in place until Moore's replacement is found, Larry Gamell, community relations director for Community Health Centers, said.

The housing authority was upset that Community Health Centers was operating the clinic only two days a week, Gamell said. It wants the clinic open five days a week, he said.

"I was surprised," Conner said of the termination. "It came to me as a 30-day notice. I'm sure there were some politics coming into play."

Moore decided to limit hours of operation in February. He was criticized further at that time, because a popular geriatric physician at the clinic, Dr. James Laird, resigned.

Moore had wanted the doctor to see more patients on a daily basis. Laird said a quota system wouldn't work with geriatric patients, because they required more time for consultation.

Conner said Community Health Centers is now financially able to operate the clinic five days a week. He said his organization also will try to hire a full-time geriatric doctor.

Moore said in March he decided to make changes at the Cannon Center because Community Health Centers had a cash deficit of $250,000 in December.

The nonprofit group also had more than $1 million in outstanding debt that had accumulated at the Cannon Center and two other clinics it operated at 916 W. Owens Ave. and 67 E. Lake Mead Drive in Henderson.

Jane Martin, a senior citizen advocate who fought to retain Laird at the Cannon Center, said Tuesday she was happy that Moore had resigned.

"I wish I could have been there to send him off," Martin said. "I would have bought him a dozen roses.

"He had the audacity to fire Dr. James Laird and others without good reason. The seniors are entitled to have a responsible and caring group to run the Cannon Center."