It is an honor to contribute to Vegas Legal Magazine. In the past, I have focused on legal matters that impact the entertainment capital of world like ticket scalping and important community issues. I also share stories about the beauty and wonder of entertainment and arts.
Today I am happy to dedicate this column to the Southern Nevada Health District. Many people thought of the Health District before the pandemic as the organization that inspects food service establishments. While some food service workers feared them, patrons applauded their efforts. It is likely that more than one time, I believe, “Oh no! The health inspector has arrived” was uttered in this valley.
Although we have never discussed it, the Health District taught us a valuable lesson when we opened The Smith Center in 2012. They were very tough on our partners in the kitchen and held them to a high standard throughout the entire opening process. Although it was frustrating at times, I learned to be grateful for their support and made sure that they were thanked. Everything about The Smith Center was built to be high-quality, including food service. It was a great experience. The Health District checked the water temperature at the sinks and made sure that food safety was maintained.
You see, I have experienced what it’s like to be sick from eating food. A few years back, I was at a conference in Northern Nevada. When I returned home from that conference, I had a serious food-borne disease. It was not a pleasant experience. It was not fun. I learned quickly that hot food must be hot and cold food must be cold. This changed my perception of food. I would never accept food that was kept at unsafe temperatures again. It was a great honor to be reminded by the Health District that food safety is important in my city and for our city. It can be difficult to work as a Health District inspector. I want to thank the many inspectors who do everything possible to ensure that our valley restaurants are safe for our families and friends.
The Health District is more than just food safety. They provide training programs, health cards and vaccinations. Without the Health District, what would we have done in the past 24 months? Their expertise helped the Smith Center to understand when we had to close down and when it was safe for us to reopen. We were reminded of the importance and value of wearing masks and they taught us about things like MERV filtration and electrostatic cleaning. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Health District were able to provide advice on how to reopen our doors, when we should require masks, how check vaccination records, and most importantly how to keep our guests, employees, and artists safe.
The Smith Center was very serious about the challenge of Covid-19 and complied with all rules set by health professionals. We have many very intelligent people at our center for performing arts, but none of them is immunologists. This is why we are grateful to the Health District and other experts. After we were allowed to reopen, the rules established by these authorities, as well as others, included the unions representing the performers who perform on our stages, were strictly adhered to. We regularly tested our backstage crew, invested in new technology and did everything possible to keep our doors open. Although it was difficult, The Smith Center is an example of what can be achieved when you put in the effort and don’t take shortcuts.
My first vaccination was at the Las Vegas Convention Center. I was there with many other Southern Nevada residents. This was a difficult challenge that the Health District overcame with great success. These were difficult waters but the community leaders weren’t afraid to tackle them. The Health District provided me with my boosters and I was able to count on them for a Covid test. The agency has been a great help to us in many ways.
On behalf of the Smith Center family, we want to say thanks to the Southern Nevada Health District. You have been there for us over many years. You went above and beyond when we needed you. THANK YOU.
The post Thanks to the Southern Nevada Health District was first published on Vegas Legal Magazine.