LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — For decades, we've heard Southern Nevada needs more medical personnel, including nurses. This month's Vegas Stronger Champion is working to improve medical care in Nevada through education.
"I was a scholarship recipient from the beginning," Arvin Operario told Channel 13. "I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to complete my nursing leadership certificate."
Operario was visiting Nevada State University in Henderson and was scheduled to speak to a nursing leadership class about his 30 years of experience in the nursing field.
"When it comes to the numbers, obviously we need more nurses," Operario said, "to be more accessible to patients. There's this big gap between the number of nurses and the amount of patients, which is exorbitant."
Dave Tyrell of the Nevada Nurses Foundation says helping nurses further their education is as important as increasing the overall number of nurses. His organization has given out grants and scholarships totaling $270,000 over the last ten years.
Operario, a former scholarship recipient, is now a scholarship donor! His employer, Optum, matches his volunteer hours with money.
"If I accumulate 50 volunteer hours, every single year they'll match it for $500. I've committed that $500 back to the foundation, and I've done that for almost ten years because I know the money that goes back to the foundation goes to nurses that truly need it," he explained.
The Nevada Nurses Foundation told me that since 2017, Arvin has consistently raised the most money for the group each year.
"Arvin is a great guy to begin with, and to be coming back and bring other people into the organization, to talk to them and say, 'Hey, I'm a recipient of this, I know it works, this is my way of giving back,' it just gets more people involved and wanting to give back," Tyrell said.
For his leadership by example, Findlay Automotive Group's Jeff Giles recognizes Arvin Operario as this month's Vegas Stronger Champion.
"We know what you've been doing, volunteering for the Nevada Nurses Foundation for a long time, and yourself, having gone through that schooling and everything," said Giles as he presented Operario with a check for $599. "I understand the goal is to bring more nurses to Nevada and keep them here. Heaven knows that we need more nurses. We just want to thank you for what you're doing, and give you this small token of our appreciation, for you personally, and we appreciate what you're doing."
The Nevada Nurses Foundation is holding a gala Saturday, Nov. 8, and the public is invited. Here's a direct link to the event page.
Arvin also volunteers by teaching Las Vegas Metropolitan Police officers how to handle people going through mental health crises.
"It's just giving back. I've been blessed to have this wonderful career, so it's just giving back and helping out the community," Operario said. "I've been doing it for a while so I'm just grateful and blessed to be here."
