The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada (The Center)

The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada Brings Light to the Community

New Medical Clinic Provides a Safe Space for All

BY DEBBIE HALL / PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONYA HARVEY AND CASHMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada (The Center) brings together various programs, resources and services to serve downtown Las Vegas and the broader community. The Center strives to be the heart and home of the LGBTQIA+ community by fostering connections, delivering programs and offering a safe space for health and wellness, social services, arts and culture, advocacy and community building.

The Center operates a full medical center, two pharmacies, a mobile clinic and mental health facilities.

“Whether you’re a senior, a member of the trans community or a young person, you can find community here. You can find a chosen family. You can find activities with people you want to connect and engage with,” said John Waldron, CEO of The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada.

Its history is an important aspect of its success today. Formerly known as the Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada, The Center began in a small former dentist’s office 21 years ago. It moved to the Historic Commercial Center District before relocating to a 16,000-square-foot former paint and home improvement store on Maryland Parkway. Now known as the Robert L. Forbuss Building in downtown Las Vegas, The Center remains focused on serving people with its tagline: “We Are The Center.”

Longtime resident Waldron became CEO of The Center on Jan. 22, 2019.

“I can tell you that we essentially had no money the day I took over at The Center. It was a vital and central resource for the community, but we were in a very precarious position—the donor base had waned. What kept us going was our staff’s dedication, our volunteers’ passion and the community’s unwavering support. Together, we ensured The Center could continue fulfilling its mission,” he explained.

When Waldron took over, The Center received grant funding—but it was through reimbursable grants. The Center had to spend the money upfront to receive reimbursement from the grantors.

“If you don’t have operating cash to spend the money upfront, it doesn’t do you much good to have grants,” Waldron said. “The Center was in a lot of trouble, and we were also in a situation with 10 paid staff members. When we were struggling to pay the power bill, we were also burdened by the fact that we had a balloon payment coming up in a year and a half from that point in August 2020. That would have been $1.6 million to pay, and The Center didn’t have anything near that. No bank in town would help to refinance us or offer a mortgage there. We faced the pending loss of our beloved property,”

In early 2019, a dedicated group came together to keep The Center open. One key supporter was Lanny Love, a Las Vegas business owner and advocate who frequented The Center. In 2019, Love donated the amount needed to cover the mortgage, utilities and payroll. In her honor, the Lanny D. Love Hero Award is given annually to an individual who is recognized as a hero.

In April 2019, Waldron met attorney Russell Rosenblum and his wife, Anne Mazzola. Rosenblum, who owns several Five Guys Burgers, Fries and More franchises and other businesses, is also a professional poker player passionate about business problem-solving. Waldron shared The Center’s financial challenges, including the balloon payment.

In July 2019, Rosenblum opened Lexicon Bank in Tivoli Village and became its board chairman. He and his team worked through the end of 2019 to refinance The Center’s loan, cutting the monthly payment in half and securing a fixed interest rate for 10 years. This helped stabilize The Center’s financial future.

“We owe so much to Lexicon Bank, which became a big supporter of The Center in many ways,” Waldron said.

Today, more than six years later, The Center has an annual gross revenue of $21.5 million and nearly 60 employees.

When Waldron speaks about The Center, he divides it into three areas: health and wellness, community buildings and advocacy.

Health and Wellness

The Center participates in 340B, a federal pharmaceutical pricing program that allows community health centers to purchase medications at deeply discounted rates. These medications, primarily for HIV and STD prevention and treatment, are stocked at Genoa Healthcare, The Center’s partner pharmacy.

When prescriptions are filled through the clinic, patients pay via insurance, like at any pharmacy. Genoa Healthcare retains a small margin, and the remaining savings go back to The Center as unrestricted revenue. These funds serve uninsured patients who can’t afford treatment—ensuring no one is turned away.

Genoa Healthcare fills more than 100 prescriptions daily and serves a neighborhood considered a pharmacy desert since the closure of the last nearby pharmacy.

By 2023, clinic demand outgrew the original space. In January 2024, The Center partnered with Lexicon Bank and acquired a 16,000-square-foot, three-story medical building at Las Vegas and Charleston boulevards, formerly Dr. Eric Wolfson’s practice. A new full-service healthcare facility opened in June 2024, with two medical doctors, three nurse practitioners and a team of assistants and phlebotomists.

“One of the things that The Center prides itself on is that we’re open to everybody.” Waldron said. “When you come into The Center, we don’t ask you for your LGBTQ ID card. We always say that anybody who comes into The Center willing to be kind to others is welcome, and we’re happy to serve you in any way we can. We don’t turn anybody away at our medical clinics. We work with the Mexican Consulate across from our new medical clinic and provide services for their constituents. We offer services to the unhoused. Everybody throughout Southern Nevada can use our medical clinic.”

Future plans for The Center include a second full-service pharmacy, dental care, mental health services and telemedicine. One area will consist of pharmaceutical companies focusing on HIV prevention and research.

The Center analyzes the unique needs of the communities it serves. For example, someone from the unhoused population may not be able to carry a 30-day supply of medication. The Center is exploring the installation of on-site lockers to provide a seven-day supply of medication, along with food and possibly a bus pass. Other plans include developing a full-scale medical facility in its new custom-built RV. The mobile clinic will serve rural communities in Southern Nevada.

Community Buildings

“Those things that we can do out of the Las Vegas Boulevard location are driven by many donors. But in particular, three people helped us to do that. One of them was Gavin J. Goorjian,” Waldron said.

Goorjian, a gay teen who first came out to mentor Robert L. Forbuss, later became a board member. He passed away in May 2022 at 38, leaving $3.5 million to The Center. Dr. Wolfson offered to sell his medical center for that same amount. It was renamed the Gavin J. Goorjian Community Health Center.

The Engelstad Foundation donated $2.4 million for two years of operating costs to help get the clinic off the ground. The foundation also donated the money to buy new state-of-the-art mammography technology because Kris Engelstad is passionate about getting mammograms in the community. This can be a challenge in Southern Nevada, where it sometimes takes more than eight weeks to get an appointment. The equipment has been purchased, and the clinic will be able to offer mammograms to the community.

The Helmsley Charitable Trust, established by Leona Helmsley, awarded a $2.2 million gift last year to help The Center expand access to rural communities through its mobile clinic. Part of the funding will be used to build a new pharmacy and provide dental and mental health services.

Advocacy

The Center certifies volunteer victim advocates through the national Center Advocacy Network’s 80-hour program. Most staff and more than 300 volunteers are certified. Once someone completes the program, they volunteer at The Center to help victims of crime and people in crisis. When someone comes to The Center as a victim of human trafficking, domestic violence or suicidal thoughts, advocates can help. They never hand someone a list of phone numbers and send them on their way; they stay with them and connect them to people and resources. A major part of The Center’s mission is nonjudgmental harm reduction.

“We want people to come through our doors and tell us exactly where they are because we want to help them stay safe,” Waldron said. “We may be helping local sex workers with safe-sex kits in a judgment-free, no-pressure manner. We may be assisting an intravenous drug user in getting clean needles to stay safe and reduce the transmission of HIV. If someone is ready to get into care or is being forced into the sex trade and needs help, that’s where our advocates can step in. If someone who is using drugs shares that they are ready to get into care, our staff and full-time outreach workers can help. We link them to care and get them into treatment.

“We partner with Capt. Seely of Metro’s Downtown Area Command in our advocacy programming, and his officers know to trust The Center and our advocates.”

Other Services

The Center partners with Three Square for weekly food distribution. During business hours, free computer access is available in the lobby.

For additional programs, information or to donate, visit thecenterlv.org. Follow The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok
(@thecenterlv).

John Waldron, CEO of The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada

Waldron has lived in Las Vegas for 46 years. At age 14, he began a career in newspapers, eventually spending 25 years as director of advertising operations at the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

After the newspaper was sold in 2014, his department was eliminated. Waldron then served as director of organizational development for Opportunity Village for 1½ years.

He later worked in the gaming industry, using his doctorate in leadership from St. Thomas University in Miami to lead national development programs. Eventually, he joined The Center’s board, representing Boyd Gaming.

Waldron is an openly gay man and passionate community servant. For more than six years, he has continued his commitment to advocacy and service.