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Thursday, May 21, 2009 | 2:06 a.m.
A plan to open a medical clinic to serve uninsured people at Clark County’s Paradise Park has run into fierce opposition from nearby residents. Some of these residents claim the clinic would ruin “their” park and “destroy the neighborhood” because “lowlifes” would come for free medical care.
The park, near Eastern and Tropicana avenues, is home to a low-income pediatric dental clinic. As Marshall Allen reported in Saturday’s Las Vegas Sun, the plan’s critics have no complaints about the dental clinic.
The medical clinic, proposed by the nonprofit Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada, would serve 50 patients a day by appointment. The county is taking neighbors’ comments into consideration before deciding whether to approve the clinic.
Sadly, some of the criticism has bordered on racism and bias against people without insurance. At a meeting with opponents, members of Volunteers in Medicine were cursed. Dr. Florence Jameson, the group’s leader, was accused of planning to perform abortions at the clinic, which is not true.
One of the volunteers, pharmacist Khanh Pham, tried to relate the need for the clinic by using her experience. When she came to this country as a refugee years ago she was uninsured. She said several residents told her to “go back where she came from.”
Come on, now. Does anyone really think a pharmacist, volunteering to help the community, should leave? Is someone “trash” because he doesn’t have insurance? Let’s be reasonable about this. The county should disregard the vitriol displayed by some of the opponents and consider the clinic solely on its merits.
As for the critics worried about those people without insurance, they should remember that in this economy an increasing number of Nevadans — people just like them — are out of work and without insurance. For all they know, they could be next.
Then what?
No surprise the SUN continues to focus only on the SPIN regarding this issue. When we will get fair open honest reporting of the real issue about the location NOT the projects merit.
I have been to EVERY meeting held on this issue, the message of concerned residents has been consistent: The objections are with the proposed location NOT the quality of the project or with the underlying NEED for the project. Residential areas, especially in older established communities which were not master planned with appropriate residential to commercial buffer zones, need extra protection as opposed to exploitation to ensure long term residential sustainability. The PARK is the only remaining buffer zone into this neighborhood located off Tropicana and McLeod.
Parks by their nature are for recreational purposes not for satellite medical services. The building in question is inside the park. The residents have only advocated that the clinic locate this operation in an alternative commercial location outside the park boundaries to help protect the integrity of the residential area. Other non-profits find ways (and funds) to be successful in our community without needing to do so in public parks. The question is fair to ask this non profit what is stopping them from operating similarly. Issues surrounding PARKS always have a tendency to produce fervor, warranted or not. It is unfortunate that a small segment of people choose to express their opinions in less than polite words, however to use those examples to paint a picture of the entire community is irresponsible reporting. The Have- Have Not Spin on the story is an attempt to steer the discussion off course by cleverly skirting concerns raised by homeowners. This area is host to diverse cultures living together and the attempted racial undertones in the article do nothing but muddy the waters.
The diverse homeowners of this neighborhood will ultimately be most impacted by any decision to move forward with the project long after the debate on this is over and forgotten by others. Let their VOICES be heard fairly on this project and keep the SPIN out of the discussion.
Please contact Rory Reid in support of the clinic and its location, and join our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/pages/VMSN/86872...