St. Rose Dominican Hospitals/Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), recently awarded $50,000 to the Dr. Joel & Carol Bower School Based Health
The Dr. Joel & Carol Bower School-Based Health Center provides much-needed health care for the school children of Henderson, said Rod Davis, president and CEO of St. Rose Dominican Hospitals and senior vice president of operations, CHW Nevada. As a member of the Catholic Healthcare West system, we’re proud that we have been able to provide help in the form of grants since 2008 to help the center fulfill its mission of providing free health care for Henderson students who lack access to medical services. The health center, located at Basic High School, was founded as a cooperative program between NSC and the Clark County School District in 2003. Nevada State College’s School of Nursing, under the leadership of its nursing director and nurse practitioners, plans and delivers primary care for children 4 to 19 years of age.
In addition to St. Rose Dominican Hospitals generous contribution, this year’s Leadership Henderson Class of 2012, a leadership program provided by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce, has named the health center as its leadership project for the upcoming year.
We opened the center as a way to provide high quality, accessible health care to all children in Henderson schools, especially the uninsured, underinsured, and vulnerable populations, said
Dr. Joel Bower, who, in partnership with Nevada State College (NSC) and the Clark County School District (CCSD), founded the Health Center in honor of his wife Carol. Without a school-based healthcare facility such as this, students either forgo treatment all together or utilize local emergency rooms for their primary care. Both are systemic problems that we can help solve.
The need for affordable healthcare for Nevada’s residents, and particularly for children in Nevada, is particularly pronounced. According to the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, 23 percent of Nevada residents do not have health insurance, which is the second-highest rate among states in the U.S. of residents lacking health insurance. Moreover, 17 percent of children in Nevada are uninsured, making Nevada the state with highest rate of uninsured children in the country.
We welcome the expertise of our local business leaders to create a long-term plan that will sustain the center for years to come, said Dr. Sherrilyn Coffman, NSC Nursing Professor, Assistant Dean and Center Director, who aims to have the Health Center self-sufficient by 2015. We’ve touched so
In the past, the health center has received funding and support from Nevada State College, the Nevada State College Foundation, the City of Henderson, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, and many other individuals and community agencies, but the state budget crisis and economic downturn has taken its toll.