Menu
Jones, Richards mark 30 years at Nevada Medical Clinic
For 30 years, Dr. Ron Jones and nurse Brenda Richards have tended to the cuts, bruises, burns, sore throats and other calamaties faced by area children and others, at Nevada Medical Clinic.
He jokes that he "didn't get very far," referring to the fact that he was born in a home about a block from the clinic, and now lives in a home just down the street. He considered going to work in Houston, Texas, but the big city traffic was daunting. Besides, the people of his home town could put his skills and services to good use.
His wife Valo, who is from Dallas, said she, too, felt the move to Nevada was a good one, and has enjoyed her many years here. "When I first got here, I thought I could know everyone in town. Of course, you really can't, but when you're at the store, or the Dairy Queen, you see someone you know. I really like that," she said.
Primarily a pediatrician, Jones sees patients of all ages in a walk-in clinic, and over the years many have made visits to Dr. Jones a family tradition. "I have several grand-patients," he said, referring to the children of patients for whom he had provided childhood medical care.
He still recalls his first patient, a young lady. As a specialist, his fees were a small amount higher than that of the general practitioners in the group, and the patient's mother thought the fee too high. Jones adjusted his fee to the same as the others in response.
Jones said he's had many memorable patients, and recalled a few of them. "There was one who hadn't seen me for a long time, and when he saw me he said, 'Dr. Jones, you've dyed your hair!'"
He hadn't -- but his hair color had changed from brown to gray between visits from the young patient.
Another patient had exclaimed, By Lynn A. Wade
Nevada Daily Mail
For 30 years, Dr. Ron Jones and nurse Brenda Richards have tended to the cuts, bruises, burns, sore throats and other calamaties faced by area children and others, at Nevada Medical Clinic.
He jokes that he "didn't get very far," referring to the fact that he was born in a home about a block from the clinic, and now lives in a home just down the street. He considered going to work in Houston, Texas, but the big city traffic was daunting. Besides, the people of his home town could put his skills and services to good use.
His wife Valo, who is from Dallas, said she, too, felt the move to Nevada was a good one, and has enjoyed her many years here. "When I first got here, I thought I could know everyone in town. Of course, you really can't, but when you're at the store, or the Dairy Queen, you see someone you know. I really like that," she said.
Primarily a pediatrician, Jones sees patients of all ages in a walk-in clinic, and over the years many have made visits to Dr. Jones a family tradition. "I have several grand-patients," he said, referring to the children of patients for whom he had provided childhood medical care.
He still recalls his first patient, a young lady. As a specialist, his fees were a small amount higher than that of the general practitioners in the group, and the patient's mother thought the fee too high. Jones adjusted his fee to the same as the others in response.
Jones said he's had many memorable patients, and recalled a few of them. "There was one who hadn't seen me for a long time, and when he saw me he said, 'Dr. Jones, you've dyed your hair!'"
He hadn't -- but his hair color had changed from brown to gray between visits from the young patient.
Another patient had exclaimed, "Are you Dr. Jones? You're old!"
Jones relates the stories with a youthful grin. In addition to dealing with precocious youngsters, he's encountered a few bizarre cases as well. One of the oddest, he said, was a patient who had complained of difficulty hearing in one ear. A piece of a cigarette inside the ear canal turned out to be the culprit -- an item the patient said had been in there for more than a year. It was the only place he could think of to hide it when he'd needed to do so.
Working at the clinic has changed over the years. In the beginning of his tenure, doctors were expected to serve as emergency room doctors as well, so one could well work a night shift at the emergency room and man the clinic at night.
"Thank goodness for Emergency Room doctors," he said.
Another great advancement has been the recent addition of an electronic records system, recently put in place at the clinic.
Through all the years, Jones has become known as a happy, friendly person. In fact, Richards said that's one of the reasons she's stayed at the clinic as long as she has. "I always knew what kind of a mood he'd be in, every morning," Richards said. She knew she'd be coming to work to see a smiling face.
Jones' wife Valo said, "Why shouldn't he be? He has the Lord's grace smiling on him… And we have a happy marriage."
"That's the secret," Jones agreed.
That, and a long and continuing history of doing something he loves, for the sake of helping others.
"It may sound trite, but what I like the most about it is the chance to help people," he said.