The Cook Children\u2019s Neighborhood Health Center is that system\u2019s ninth such clinic.<\/p>\n
Christina Reed, director of operations for Cook Children\u2019s neighborhood health centers, said the clinic makes it easier for families in the area to access health care because it\u2019s closer than other locations that could be difficult for them to reach. It offers services to the more than 20,000 children who live nearby.<\/p>\n
Cook Children\u2019s saw more than 4,000 visits to its emergency room and urgent care clinics by children from the neighborhood in 2024, according to the health care system. Most visits were for primary care.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250729_LVTHealthCenter_04.jpg\")
Medical equipment lines the walls of an exam room at the health center at Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth July 29, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
\u201cThis had been considered a medical desert, actually,\u201d said Wini King, Cook Children\u2019s chief of communications and employee connections and a senior vice president. \u201cThere was nothing here to provide this kind of convenience for these patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
The clinic has the typical features of a doctor\u2019s office, including a station for checking vital signs and exam rooms. It also has shelves of books donated by the Red Oak Foundation and dental kits to be distributed to patients.<\/p>\n
Visitors who are not proficient in English can access live translation services through rolling video translation devices.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250729_LVTHealthCenter_07.jpg\")
Rolling video translation devices stand in the Cook Children\u2019s Neighborhood Health Center at Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth July 29, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
More than 40 languages are spoken among Las Vegas Trail residents, said Paige Charbonnet, executive director of the nonprofit LVTRise.<\/p>\n
The JPS clinic will serve adults and children by offering primary care, women\u2019s health care and mental health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be an opportunity to truly embed the behavioral health care into the physical health care because we want to make sure that we\u2019re treating the whole patient and all of their needs,\u201d said Dr. Nekesha Oliphant, JPS chair of psychiatry and behavioral health. \u201cBeing part of this community will remove some of those barriers and increase access.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cook Children\u2019s and JPS each offer services to help community members access insurance and financial assistance programs, including Affordable Care Act plans, Medicaid, the Children\u2019s Health Insurance Plan and JPS Connection<\/a>.<\/p>\n The center includes a demonstration kitchen where free nutrition classes will be offered to teach residents how to cook healthy meals.<\/p>\n Rows of tables face a large stove and counter. A camera above the cooking area can project an overhead view so participants can see what the instructor is doing.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re teaching and we\u2019re also learning from them, so people are more than welcome to share kind of the things they do at home and maybe ways we can work together,\u201d Cook Children\u2019s dietician Maya Rashad said.<\/p>\n A food pantry through WestAid, a nonprofit fighting food insecurity in western Tarrant County, offers shelf-stable pantry staples, such as peanut butter and rice, as well as refrigerated and frozen items, including meat. Also available are diapers from the Junior League of Fort Worth Diaper Bank and dog food provided by Don\u2019t Forget to Feed Me, a Fort Worth-based nonprofit pet food bank.<\/p>\n The center\u2019s police storefront gives officers a place to take a lunch break or write reports without leaving the neighborhood, Fort Worth Police Cmdr. Amy Heise said. It will be a \u201claunching point\u201d for the department\u2019s community programs, she said.<\/p>\n Capt. Brent Halford, who oversees community and youth programs, said the storefront offers \u201ca local solution to an opportunity desert.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s convenient to be right in the area that needs us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Soon, the center will offer classes to teach residents about topics such as customer service, Microsoft Office and professional development skills in collaboration with Tarrant County College and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. Participants earn a certificate upon completion and apply for entry-level jobs at Cook Children\u2019s and JPS.<\/p>\n \u201cThe whole goal is to create that pathway for them to get a career in health care and grow that career, which will overall improve their economic well-being and their overall health,\u201d said Christine Hernandez, a workforce development specialist for Cook Children\u2019s.<\/p>\n The clinics and food pantry are open. Workforce development classes begin Sept. 16. The demonstration kitchen holds its first class Aug 20.<\/p>\n Council member Michael Crain, whose district includes Las Vegas Trail, also serves as a board member for LVTRise. He said the center provides charity but more than anything, it empowers the community.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s about the growth that can happen and about just making lives better across the board,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n McKinnon Rice is a reporting fellow for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at mckinnon.rice@fortworthreport.org.\u00a0<\/p>\n At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250729_LVTHealthCenter_09.jpg\")
A video camera projects a stovetop in the demonstration\/teaching kitchen at the health center at Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth July 29, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250729_LVTHealthCenter_12.jpg\")
The WestAid food pantry is stocked with fresh food and dry goods for community members and is located at the health center at Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth July 29, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/20250729_LVTHealthCenter_14.jpg\")
The health center at Las Vegas Trail features an on-site job training room in Fort Worth July 29, 2025. (Maria Crane | Fort Worth Report\/CatchLight Local\/Report for America)<\/p>\n
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