Clark County health officials make a stop Pahrump

The issue of public health was front and center when officials from the Southern Nevada Community Health Center in Las Vegas recently made a stop in Pahrump.

Late last month, Community Health Supervisor Bernadette Meily and her team visited the NyE Communities Coalition campus to furnish information on the variety of services the agency provides to Southern Nevada residents.

“We are here to partner with the NyE Communities Coalition,” Meily said. “We’re here to offer cervical screenings, such as pap smears, HPV testing and vaccinations, for those up to 45 years of age who are interested. We also have contraceptive services and offer oral contraceptives, birth control injections, and condoms. We also brought our health educators to talk about the different services under the Southern Nevada Community Health Center.”

We’ll be back

Meily also said she and her staff plan to make regular visits to accommodate Nye County residents, who otherwise may have to visit Las Vegas to take advantage of the services.

“We would like to come here on a frequent basis,” she said. “We want to explore the community to determine the type of services the local residents need. Even though we have not seen a patient yet, we met the people who can help us become successful with this project, which includes our partnership with the coalition, and meeting the state nurse.”

Community support urged

Meily’s colleague, Community Health Supervisor Merylyn Yegon, said plans are now in the works for the agency to work with local officials to determine what additional services can be provided at the next event in Pahrump.

“We just want the support of everybody in the community here on how best to get the word out,” she said. “We can plan to bring in resources from Las Vegas to make sure the community needs are met. We see opportunities to bridge the gap on what services are lacking. The message that we want to communicate is that we are here for Nye County and we want to be part of a healthier community.”

Surveying the needs

Meily, meanwhile, said though she recognizes the need for primary health care throughout Nye County, while at the same time, there are additional needs and services to focus on at present.

“Transportation and finances can be a barrier, so we will be bringing the services where it’s needed through our mobile unit,” she said. “There will be primary care and family planning services too. In the future, we want to provide dental, behavioral and even telehealth services. We also have a survey that we plan to distribute, so we will have an idea on what type of other services the community wants us to provide.”

Contact reporter Selwyn Harris at sharris@pvtimes.com. On Twitter: @pvtimes