Locals unable to afford health checkups can get them done by medical professionals today, Saturday, at the Carson City Community Center during the first Love Heals Free Clinic event happening until 6 p.m.
Dozens of volunteers in the medical field including local nurses, doctors, dentists and ophthalmologists turned out for the all-ages event in partnership with the Carson City Senior Center.
Based in Boise, Idaho, Love Heals Free Clinic is a national non-profit organization dedicated to providing professional medical, dental and vision services at no cost to underserved individuals and communities.
Through mobile and temporary clinics, Love Heals, established in 2018, partners with local communities to bridge the gap in healthcare access, restoring hope and health through collective volunteer action.
“We do one or two-day pop-up clinics all around the country where we offer free dental, vision and medical services to people in need,” explained Love Heals Executive Director Caitlin Cornforth. “We try to make it as barrier free as humanly possible. So if you come to our doors, we don’t ask for ID. We don’t ask for proof of income, we don’t ask for proof of insurance or a lack thereof. We say, ‘if you come here and you need help, we’re going do everything we can to take care of you.'”
Describing the morning turnout as steady, Cornforth said for a first-time event the turnout is impressive both in patients and the number of volunteers who signed up to help.
“We’ve got doctors, nurses, ophthalmologists, dentists, registered dental hygienists and assistants, probably around 40 or so, along with volunteers from the nurse program at Western Nevada College and Carson High’s HOSA program. It’s a great volunteer turnout,” she said.
After Saturday’s event, Love Heals will provide an official impact report that will be released to the public and Carson City officials. Conforth noted their two previous Love Heals volunteer clinics — one in Philadelphia and the other in Boise — both within the last month, provide $550,000 in free service to patients.
“That’s just one month. As we have these clinics in more and more in communities like Carson City, the more people will learn about us and begin to show up. We’re really looking forward to coming back here again.”
WNC Nursing Program brings first-year students
Coordinating with Love Heals, Western Nevada College brought 26 of its first-year nursing students to the event, said Erika Holliday, operations manager for Western Nevada College’s Nursing Program and Allied Health, which encompasses the nursing program, CNA, phlebotomy and EMS.
“With Love Heals, this is the first time they’ve had an event in Carson City and they were kind enough to reach out to us, extending the offer,” Holliday said, explaining the student volunteers are broken up into three shifts, at 8 to 9 students per shift.
The WNC students volunteering are first-year, which means they have only been in the program for around three weeks.
“So this is really good exposure for them, just getting the patient contact and hands-on communication with patients, learning how important it is to get their past medical history, do their vitals, things like that,” she said.
Holliday added the students are also getting exposure to the community with patients that they’ll eventually be treating some day. It also builds those relationships with WNC, which is committed to helping usher nurses into the community, she said.
“Next year, hopefully, they’ll be back. We would love to participate again and probably bring even more students,” she said.
WNC first-year nursing program students Emily Pierce and Dominic Santiago said they’re excited to be a part of Saturday’s event.
It’s a great opportunity to be able to learn and give back to the community, said Pierce.
“It’s an opportunity that I’ve been blessed with to do for the community and people in need, being able to go over healthcare that everybody should be able to have access to,” she said.
Santiago added the free health clinic provides a great service to the community.
“I’m happy to be here and helping,” he said.
Carson High School HOSA members get first-hand look at medical services
Also joining the event were around 25 Carson High School HOSA Future Health Professionals students, many of them juniors and seniors, who are able to watch the professional volunteer staff at work.
“It’s great to have a community that helps those who can’t get the services done on their own,” said HOSA member Mana Payan.
HOSA student Sujwal Yedunuthula, a senior, said Saturday’s experience is one of three events so far this year , adding the event provides the kind of access needed for people in the community.
HOSA member Kayla Lewis explained the team will be involved in next weekend’s Walk/Run to Remember event in downtown Carson City to raise awareness and money for Alzheimer’s disease awareness.
