Touro Physician Assistant students seated at a table speak with a healthcare screening patient.

Touro Partners with Tzu Chi Foundation to Provide Free Healthcare During Large Scale Medical Event in North Las Vegas

May 31, 2022

Students from Touro University Nevada’s School of Physician Assistant Studies continue to provide free healthcare screenings to the Southern Nevada community, this time in North Las Vegas during another large-scale event in partnership with the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation.

“This Touro Nevada and Tzu Chi event is an amazing collaboration of two organizations committed to making our community healthier and helping those without access to care,” said Dr. Rebecca Edgeworth, Assistant Professor in the School of Physician Assistant Studies. “Our partnership brings together like-minded practitioners who joyfully bring free medical and dental care to those who have few, if any options.”

Dr. Edgeworth, who has worked with the Tzu Chi Foundation for nearly a decade, has made it a priority to have Touro’s students partner with the organization since she arrived as a full-time faculty member in 2019.

Since then, Touro’s students have worked multiple large-scale healthcare events, providing COVID-19 vaccines and additional primary care services to Southern Nevadans who otherwise would not be able to receive the healthcare they need.

During the most recent partnership with Tzu Chi, Dr. Ryan Huang, a 2016 graduate from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and a physician in the Las Vegas Valley, worked with Touro’s students as they cared for more and more patients.

“I serve a lot of patients in the Valley who are Mandarin speaking, so this was the perfect opportunity to work with both Tzu Chi and Touro to collaborate for some amazing work in the community,” he said. “We served more than 140 patients at this event. It was an honor to be here.”

While Tzu Chi provided 10 dentists to provide free dental care to those who came to the event, Touro helped lead the medical component for those without insurance.

“Volunteering for community outreach reminds me of why I decided to go into healthcare,” said Physician Assistant Student Julia Preuss. “The patients we see may have a lot of hurt or distrust related to health services. With events like these, we have the opportunity to start rebuilding some of that trust.”