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StumbleSUN EDITORIAL:
A big help for uninsured
Volunteer medical group plans to expand, open clinic in downtown Las Vegas
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.
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I didn't understand why some people complained when this outfit set up shop in that neighborhood. Bars, convenience stores, liquor stores, tattoo parlors were OK, but a medical clinic would bring in the wrong kind of people??
This is a horrible news article intended as a scare tactic on the poor and disabled.
Did not need the Obama Health Insurance bill to provide this help to the citizens of LV
Yes this is a big help but it does come with a price or they're getting something in return to help the Obama followers. Doctors don't do anything for nothing, they have a pay off in some fashion or another, they're greed glands pulsate just like any other identity, and the payoff must be enough to justify the write off on the facilities.
I would like to know what they're really doing and what their true motive is, tax write off, Obama money, over charging insurance companies, Medicare, Medicaid, etc" they just don't this for nothing, what's the payoff?
There's no greater form of love than to help another in need, especially when it's done anonymously, indeed! The only pay-off, is the miles of smiles!
My fondest memories from my military service was saving countless lives of children in humanitarian service missions!
So what happens when all that free money drys up.
Our armed forces have been misused for decades doing "humanitarian service missions" overseas.
A total waste of our people in uniform's time and money.
Have any of you naysayers ever been taught that "if you can't say something nice, don't say it at all"?
Many people don't have health insurance or don't have enough insurance through no fault of their own.
Just be THANKFUL that you have health insurance and/or can afford it.
I need to change the above saying to something a little more forceful: If you can't say something positive, SHUT THE **** UP!!!
its2hot,
Believe it or not, everyone is not like you.
There are many people in this Valley that help people everyday without looking for that big "payoff". Even doctors.
Just because a lot of mexicans are doing that doesn't mean that the people of las vegas shouldn't have some free care.. I am really sick right now and I went on a search for free medical for people without insurance.. This is what I found. So it does help some people, even if the wait for care is long.
I agree with all of you positive thinkers who think that this is really helping.
The best pay-off is knowing you helped someone.. It's knowing you put a smile on someones face and warmth in their heart.