The Bright Futures Wellness Center, which opened in February, provides treatment with no insurance, identification, or Social Security number required.
The clinic is a partnership led by the University of Nevada, Reno’s Orvis School of Nursing. Its mission is to expand access to basic healthcare and train the next generation of health providers.
“What we were able to do is add nursing services and health services in a space that's already recognized by the community,” said Vania Carter-Strauss, a nurse practitioner and professor at UNR. “We're able to provide those health services that help bridge some of the care for patients who aren’t able to access basic primary services.”
The clinic is funded through grants and focuses on serving people affected by crime, including those experiencing bullying, discrimination, or domestic violence. Services include blood pressure checks, pregnancy testing, and rapid flu and COVID-19 screenings, with an emphasis on early detection and prevention.
Language remains one of the biggest barriers to care in Nevada. Carter-Strauss said as a provider and as a first-generation American, that challenge is personal.
“We have approximately six to seven percent of nurses that identify as Latino and can provide linguistically appropriate care,” she said.
For nursing students, the clinic also serves as a hands-on training ground. Marlyn Arce-Gomez, a Spanish-speaking, first-generation student, said the experience shows how critical access to basic screenings can be.
She recalled one patient who came in with high blood pressure.
“They had a systolic blood pressure over 200 and were symptomatic,” she said. “That puts them at risk for a heart attack or stroke. If they hadn’t come in, they wouldn’t have known.”
By combining education with accessible care, the Bright Futures Wellness Center aims to make healthcare more equitable across Washoe County, especially for communities that have been underserved.
