by Residents of Las Vegas Trail now have access to a food pantry, employment training, and a variety of medical services in a brand-new health center.
The clinic, the newest addition to the area, unifies the many services through a collaboration between Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, the city of Fort Worth, and other community organizations.
Because of its high crime and poverty rates, Las Vegas Trail has drawn the attention of city officials. A historical deficiency in services and commercial development is intended to be addressed by the improvements.
The RISE Community facility opened in 2020, and in 2021, a library was established within the facility, marking significant progress in the far west Fort Worth region.
The new 40,000-square-foot health center building’s main entrance leads to a lobby that houses the JPS and Cook Children’s campuses.
The eighth such clinic in that system is the Cook Children’s Neighborhood Health Center.
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According to Christina Reed, director of operations at Cook Children’s neighborhood health centers, the clinic’s proximity to other potentially inaccessible areas makes it simpler for local families to get health care. It provides services to around 20,000 youngsters in the area.
In 2024, the health care system reported that over 4,000 children from the neighborhood visited Cook Children’s ER and urgent care centers. Primary care accounted for most of the visits.
According to Wini King, senior vice president and chief of communications and employee connections at Cook Children, this area was actually regarded as a medical desert. Nothing was available to give these patients this level of convenience.
The clinic offers the standard amenities found in a doctor’s office, such as exam rooms and a station for taking vital signs. It also features dental kits to be given to patients and shelves of books donated by the Red Oak Foundation.
Rolling video translation systems provide live translation services for those who do not speak English.
The executive director of the nonprofit organization LVTRise, Paige Charbonnet, stated that people of Las Vegas Trail speak more than 40 languages.
The JPS clinic will provide primary care, women’s health care, and mental health services to both adults and children.
“We want to make sure that we’re treating the whole patient and all of their needs, so this will be an opportunity to truly embed behavioral health care into the physical health care,” said Dr. Nekesha Oliphant, chair of psychiatry and behavioral health at JPS. Joining our community will improve access and eliminate some of those obstacles.
Both JPS and Cook Children’s provide services to assist community residents in obtaining insurance and financial aid programs, such as Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Plan, Affordable Care Act plans, and JPS Connection.
The facility has a demonstration kitchen where residents can learn how to prepare nutritious meals through free nutrition workshops.
A big stove and counter are in front of rows of tables. To allow participants to see what the instructor is doing, a camera above the cooking area can project an overhead view.
According to Maya Rashad, a dietitian at Cook Children, “people are more than welcome to share kind of the things they do at home and maybe ways we can work together because we’re teaching and learning from them.”
WestAid, a nonprofit organization that combats food insecurity in western Tarrant County, runs a food pantry that provides frozen and refrigerated goods, including meat, along with shelf-stable pantry basics like rice and peanut butter. Additionally offered are dog food from Don’t Forget to Feed Me, a nonprofit pet food bank located in Fort Worth, and diapers from the Junior League of Fort Worth Diaper Bank.
Officers can write reports or take a lunch break at the center’s police storefront without having to leave the neighborhood, according to Fort Worth Police Cmdr. Amy Heise. According to her, it will serve as a springboard for the department’s community initiatives.
The shop provides a local solution to an opportunity desert, according to Capt. Brent Halford, who is in charge of community and youth programming.
“Being in the area that needs us is convenient,” he remarked.
In partnership with Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County and Tarrant County College, the facility will soon provide seminars to teach locals about subjects like professional development skills, Microsoft Office, and customer service. After completing the program, participants receive a certificate and can apply for entry-level positions at JPS and Cook Children’s.
According to Christine Hernandez, a workforce development consultant for Cook Children’s, the entire objective is to set up a path for them to pursue and advance a career in healthcare, which will enhance both their general health and financial well-being.
The food pantry and clinics are open. Classes for workforce development start on September 16. The first lesson in the demonstration kitchen is on August 20.
Michael Crain, a council member whose district contains Las Vegas Trail, is also an LVTRise board member. According to him, the center empowers the community more than anything else, even if it also offers charitable services.
He stated that it’s about improving everyone’s quality of life and the potential for progress.
McKinnon Rice works for the Fort Worth Report as a reporting fellow. [email protected] is her email address.
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