Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2005 | 10:47 a.m.
Several Las Vegas Valley businesses are donating their services, time and money to help a nonprofit organization open a free health care clinic, in hopes that it will treat the growing number of uninsured patients.
Health Projects Nevada Free HealthCare Clinic is a concept that has been evolving over the past 15 years under the leadership of its executive administrator Ken Little. The nonprofit organization has gone from a temporary clinic that offered preventive health screenings at local libraries to opening a free clinic at 600 Whitney Ranch Drive, Suite D20 in Henderson that operates every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Local companies have donated about $125,000 worth of medical equipment and office furniture to Health Projects, Little said. Other companies such as St. Rose Dominican Hospitals provided meeting space while the organization was in the planning phase.
Little's goal is to raise $1.5 million by the end of the year, which would cover his administrative expenses during his five-year lease and pay for two mobile clinics that could be used to bring health care to rural and underserved areas.
"If every individual donates $1 and they get three others to donate $1, that's $1.5 million in this town," he said, adding that his ultimate goal is to raise millions more than that so he can fund 10 mobile clinics at $350,000 each for Southern Nevadans. "It's a unique way, but a simple way, to raise the funds."
Many of the companies to date have been more willing to donate time or in-kind services such as advertising, but Little expects that will change now that the clinic is open.
"Now that the physical clinic is here, I feel very strongly that more people are going to come up and make donations to us," he said.
Health Projects Nevada, formerly called Health Projects 2000, is using donated space and equipment provided by Milan Medical Center, which is a small physicians' practice that formed a few months ago under the administration of Maria Marusic. Dr. Humberto Rodriguez, who was most recently an urgent care doctor at University Medical Center's Quick Care centers, is the chief medical director and will provide some care to free clinic patients.
"We saw the need of the uninsured people," Marusic said. "They have no resources in this state."
Health Projects works with a cardiologist, gynecologist, family practice doctor, chiropractor, an eye doctor and local physicians' assistants, some of which are employed by Milan, while others work for other medical offices. The health professionals volunteer their time to the clinic.
If Health Projects can attract more doctors and physicians' assistants to volunteer their time and services, the clinic would be able to see more patients and might expand its hours, Little said.
He said the clinic is working on partnerships with Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Henderson and Pima Medical Institute, both of which would provide medical students and assistants for the clinic.
The Health Projects clinic offers testing to measure bone density, blood pressure, vital signs, cholesterol, vision, hearing, and glucose levels. The only requirements are that patients be Nevada residents; work at least part time, be a full-time adult student, in a job training program or actively seeking employment and have an annual income of no more than 250 percent of the federal poverty level, which was $47,125 for a family of four in 2004. The clinic tests would also be available to eligible patients' immediate families.
The clinic also offers prescription assistance programs through Carson City-based Pharmacy International and drug manufacturers that provide deeply discounted generic and brand name medications to anyone who is a resident of the United States or has a green card, and has an annual income that does not exceed 250 percent of the federal poverty level.
Once patients of the free health clinic are diagnosed with a medical condition they are referred to Milan Medical Center or other local doctors who offer discounted services.
Business leaders say they were attracted to Health Projects' mission to help uninsured patients with their medical care.
"We welcome an additional low-cost health care provider that has a vision of serving those in need," St. Rose Dominican Hospitals spokesman Andy North said. The hospital does not commonly donate meeting space to outside groups, but hospital leaders were attracted to the organization's vision to serve those in need, he said.
Carol Herrington, president of the Southern Nevada Human Resource Association, said her group wanted to help get the word out about the free clinic to its 500 human resources managers.
"It's a community service and a lot of times those services get to people through a human resources department," she said. "We're one of those communications vehicles."
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