School of Physician Assistant Studies Resumes Free Primary Care Services to Homeless Populations

School of Physician Assistant Studies Resumes Free Primary Care Services to Homeless Populations

Sep 22, 2020

Students from the Touro University Nevada School of Physician Assistant Studies (PA) have returned to providing free healthcare services to some of the Las Vegas Valley’s most vulnerable populations.

“The School of Physician Assistant Studies, like the university, is very committed to working to help the Vegas Valley community. Students and faculty seek to address the healthcare needs of our fellow Vegas Valley residents who need a hand,” said Dr. Rebecca Edgeworth, Assistant Professor and Medical Director in the School of Physician Assistant Studies.

Each week, PA students and faculty provide free primary care services on the mobile healthcare clinic to residents at Share Village (formerly Veterans Village), Catholic Charities and others. Every Tuesday afternoon, students and faculty also provide free primary care services inside the Touro-Stallman Clinic for women and children living at The Shade Tree.

“While screening our homeless population is very important during a global pandemic, it also shines a light into how much more needs to be done. Helping with the homeless population guarantees the wellbeing of the society in general,” said Niyat Teweldebrhan, a student in the School of Physician Assistant Studies. “I was very touched by how everyone appreciated all the help they were getting. The outreach also confirmed my choice of this profession.”

The PA program has also resumed shifts at Volunteers in Medicine of Southern Nevada (VMSN) and collaborating with the organization, HELP of Southern Nevada, to provide unsheltered homeless people with the healthcare they desperately need.

“COVID has severely impacted medical care available in Las Vegas, especially for those who are homeless,” Dr. Edgeworth said. “Those people who might usually have gone to the emergency room for help are reluctant to get help for fear of becoming infected with the virus. Those who reside in shelters are unable to socially isolate and lack sanitation we all take for granted. Together we can work with other community resources until we can get back to the prosperous town we all love.”