New building ready to give kids, health district shot in arm

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The Southern Nevada Health District’s temporary headquarters were abuzz Tuesday with public health workers gearing up for back-to-school immunizations.

The arm pokes. The Band-Aids. The tears.

On Wednesday, parents who must have their children immunized before school starts can bring them to the district’s new facility, 330 S. Valley View Blvd., near the Meadows mall. This is where the district plans to stay for the next three years until it can build or buy a building.

"We’ve been scattered, with some staff at East Las Vegas and some in Henderson. It’s been kind of difficult with the communication, but now we’re coming back together as a team," said JoAnn Rupiper, acting supervisor for the immunization program. "We’re really happy to be back together as a group."

The situation is a contrast to where the health district was about four months ago: homeless and on the verge of a public health service crisis.

The Southern Nevada Health District was thrown into turmoil after health officials closed its downtown headquarters because the 50-year-old building was deemed structurally unsafe. The facility’s closure forced the agency to cut back some services and scatter others across the valley.

At the time, health officials said the structural issues could pose a risk to the community if full services were not quickly restored.

Health officials have scrambled to get information out to clients about when and where they can get services.

Rupiper said that working in the new building has been a "morale booster" and that the district is prepared to handle vaccinations. Typically, the district handles about 150 back-to-school clients a day. At peak times, that number can average between 500 to 800 clients per day.

"It’s 100 percent easier," she said. "We’re able to talk one-on-one with each other. Communication can get distorted in email or by phone, and you’re not sure if your message gets across."

School shots will be the only service offered at the new health center for now. Additional services are expected to be offered in the coming months.

To cut down on wait times, Rupiper said parents should bring their children to get their vaccinations as soon as possible.

The health district’s building closure was a point of contention for Clark County commissioners and health district officials snarled in litigation over funding and owning real estate.

County officials offered to build the public health agency a new headquarters, with funding set aside for the legal matter, in exchange for the district dropping the lawsuits.

Health officials have remained quiet about the county’s proposal, but some Health Board members appeared dismissive of the idea and questioned the county’s motives in offering to make peace.

Then, the district underwent leadership change when Dr. Lawrence Sands resigned as chief health officer. Dr. John Middaugh, director of the district’s division of community health, is the interim chief health officer until the district selects a permanent replacement.

Engineers with Walter P. Moore and Associates, who studied the old health district headquarters, have said to repair, rebuild or replace the 60,000-square-foot building would require $16.2 million to $18.5 million in construction costs alone. That does not include temporary relocation or moving costs.

The building was constructed without a "diaphragm" system used to support structural stress, deformations or displacement caused by wind or earthquakes, according to the engineers’ report. The building relied on a gypsum panel support system, which has been outdated for 30 years.

In recent years, attempts had been made to shore up the structure, but engineers wrote that repairs might require more money than the building is worth.

The facility is in Las Vegas city limits and is under control of the health district. There is no formal document that divides the responsibility for building upkeep and safety among Las Vegas, Clark County and the district.

Las Vegas city officials reject any blame for the condition of the building and have hired an outside structural engineering firm to determine whether the building should be condemned or repaired and reopened.

Jace Radke, city spokesman, said the review of the building is ongoing and a report could be completed within the next few weeks.

Contact reporter Kristi Jourdan at kjourdan@reviewjournal.com or 702-455-4519.