FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 3, 2023

LAS VEGAS — The Southern Nevada Community Health Center is celebrating National Health Center Week August 6-12, by raising awareness of the services it offers, showing appreciation for patients with giveaways and raffle prizes, and celebrating its dedicated employees at its Community Health Center locations.

National Health Center Week is a time to recognize how community health centers touch many aspects of community life and are a critical component of the public health priorities of increasing access to care and improving health outcomes for the most vulnerable populations. On a national level:

• One in 11 Americans are health center patients. Of those:
  • 20% are uninsured
  • 59% are publicly insured
  • 90% are low-income
  • 65% are members of racial and/or ethnic minority groups

At the local level, the Southern Nevada Health District’s Federally Qualified Health Center (Community Health Center) began operations in 2019 at its main location at 280 S. Decatur, Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89107. Services provided by the Community Health Center include primary care, family planning, Ryan White, behavioral health, sexual health, pharmacy and telehealth services. A second location opened in August 2022, at the Fremont Public Health Center at 2380 E. Fremont St., Las Vegas, NV 89104, and a satellite location at All Saints Sexual Health Clinic, 4201 W. Washington Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89107, provides sexual health services.

In 2022, the Community Health Center served 6,242 patients for a total of 16,642 patient encounters, of which 9,117 (55%) were delivered to uninsured patients. The Community Health Center offers services on a sliding fee scale, which allows patients to pay according to their income and federal poverty levels, and no one is turned away due to an inability to pay. In 2022, sliding fee adjustments saved patients a total of $2.5 million for health care services provided at the Health District’s Community Health Center.

“Our Community Health Centers are more than just medical clinics,” said Randy Smith, FQHC Operations Officer for the Health District. “We work in partnership with public health to look beyond our patients’ medical charts and address the root cause of their symptoms such as social and mental health needs, or access to resources. We then collaborate with our community partners to improve the long-term outcomes for our patients who represent some of the most medically vulnerable and underserved populations in Southern Nevada.”

“The Southern Nevada Health District is committed to supporting our Community Health Center and to ensuring the patients who need it most have access to health care that is affordable and provided in a culturally respectful environment,” said Dr. Fermin Leguen, District Health Officer for the Southern Nevada Health District.

For more information about the Southern Nevada Community Health Center, its locations and services, go to www.snchc.org. For information about National Health Center Week, visit https://healthcenterweek.org/about-nhcw/.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.