1980s & '90s

Enrollment in the Clark County School District grew from 20,000 students in the mid-1950s to more than 311,000 in 2013. At the time of publication, it was the fifth largest school district in the United States, with a nursing staff of 185 plus.
The 1980s and 1990s saw tremendous population growth in Clark County, with subsequent increased school enrollment. The demand for professional staff nurses mushroomed, as population growth brought a widening range of medically fragile students to be served in the regular school setting. This increased demands on school nurses, and in the mid-1980s, Clark County school nurses prepared an instructional slide show to help teachers, administrators and lay personnel in the schools understand the expanding role of the school nurse.
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1990s The Beginning of Community-Based Clinics
Community-based clinics were established to provide free or nominal cost medical care, dental care and counseling to uninsured and underserved, at-risk students who are unable to obtain care otherwise. Since medical issues are among the leading reasons why kids fall behind in school and ultimately drop out, Community-Based Clinics help to ensure students academic success. The Huntridge Teen Clinic, established in 1994, was the first community-based clinic in Las Vegas and paved the way for future community-based clinics throughout the district. Although subsequent clinics are on school property, the school district does not staff them. The school district works and plans contractually and cooperatively with them.
Community-based clinics are an essential source for injured or ill students who lack insurance and other health care options.