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In Fort Worth’s Las Vegas Trail neighborhood — a few square miles hemmed in by Camp Bowie, I-820, and Cherry Lane — the story hasn’t always been one of hope.
Long before a brand-new health center rose from the soil at 2800 S. Cherry Lane, the area was known more for what it lacked: clinics, grocery stores, mental health support, and transportation. Since the 1993 closure of Carswell Air Force Base, this westside pocket had become, as city councilman Michael Crain put it, a healthcare desert. “There was no medical care west of Como and the BioMed Center,” he said. “This is where you entered the city from the west — and for a long time, it felt like a place people ended up, not somewhere they chose to live.”
That changes on Aug. 5.
A first-of-its-kind partnership between Cook Children’s, JPS Health Network, the City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County, LVTRise, WestAid, and a chorus of community stakeholders will officially open a new 40,000-square-foot neighborhood health center. The center — offering everything from pediatric care to behavioral health services, a food pantry, wellness classes, and workforce training — will serve as a central access point for families who’ve spent decades cobbling together care across the city.
It’s a milestone moment, but it didn’t happen overnight.
Back in 2017, when Crain worked for his predecessor on the council, he took note of a stark disparity: Las Vegas Trail represented just 1% of Fort Worth’s population yet accounted for 4% of the city’s crime. Public safety was the first step, but he knew that wouldn’t be enough.
“You can’t arrest your way out of crime,” he said. “You have to invest your way out.”
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So in 2021, Crain launched LVT 2.0 — a focused revitalization strategy anchored by LVTRise, a nonprofit that grew out of a groundswell of concern after a 2017 Star-Telegram exposé laid bare the neighborhood’s deficiencies. One of the residents moved by that piece was Paige Charbonnet, who lived just ten minutes away.
“You could read that article and move on with your day,” she said. “Or you could roll up your sleeves.”
Charbonnet did the latter — volunteering first, then joining LVTRise full time. Today, she serves as the organization’s executive director and helped guide the health center’s creation. “This is one of our first big transformative dominoes to fall,” she said. “We’ve seen double-digit crime reductions. Education is improving. But this — this is huge.”
What sets the center apart isn’t just the scale of services but how they're delivered: intentionally, and in collaboration with those who will use them.
Sky Ramos, a community health worker with Cook Children’s Health Plan, knows firsthand what that means. She used to live in LVT. As a new mom, she had to travel across town to McCart Avenue just to get a doctor’s appointment for her child.
“Sometimes I couldn’t even get in. And transportation was always an issue,” Ramos said. “So when I say this clinic will change lives, I mean it. I’ve lived it.”
She’ll now work full time in the building where, not long ago, she would’ve stood in line for care.
“I take it personal,” she said. “Especially for our Spanish-speaking neighbors. Sometimes they’re scared to ask for help. Now, they won’t have to.”
Stephen Montoya
The facility will also include a JPS-run women’s health program, adult and family medicine, and same-day pediatric appointments. For local residents like Alexabely Lamper, mother of two, who shared her experience during the media tour, the benefits are already real. “I got a vaccine today and booked a follow-up,” she said, beaming. “I felt like I was home.”
There’s more to come.
The ribbon cutting will kick off “30 Days of Wellness” — a month-long slate of free events, health demos, and educational opportunities aimed at getting residents in the door and involved in their own care.
And the money is following the momentum. Crain estimates that in just three years, roughly $100 million has been invested in the Las Vegas Trail corridor — with another $70 million expected soon.
“It’s not just charity,” he said. “This is about empowerment. And it’s working.”
Since its formation in 2018, LVTRise has taken that mantra to heart — evolving from a pop-up community service hub into a permanent force for change. Its Rise Community Center opened in 2020, followed by a Fort Worth Public Library branch the next year.
Now, with health and well-being firmly in place as one of its revitalization pillars — alongside public safety, education, and housing — Las Vegas Trail finally has the infrastructure to support the people who live there.
And the people who live there are leading the way.
“This isn’t just about new walls or shiny facilities,” Charbonnet said. “It’s about meeting people where they are — and showing them how far we can go together.”
The ribbon cutting for the Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood Health Center will take place Tuesday, August 5, 2025, at 9 a.m. at 2800 S. Cherry Lane. For more details on services and events, visit LVTRise.org.
