For the first time in more than 30 years, a Fort Worth community long considered a "health care desert" now has nearby access to basic medical care.

The new Las Vegas Trail Neighborhood Health Center is expected to transform the lives of tens of thousands of residents by providing critical health and wellness services within reach.

"This really is a game changer," said Fort Worth City Councilman Michael Crain, who has been working to revitalize Las Vegas Trail.

The neighborhood significantly declined when the Carsell Air Force Base closed in the early 1990s.

"What would make this community better and safer?" Crain said. "Crime has overall gone down, but just reducing crime doesn't make it a safer community. You've got to put other pillars in place."

One of those pillars is health.

"We know that the sooner that care is obtained, the better the outcomes for the patient," said Dr. Stephanie Carson-Henderson, chair of Women and Infants at JPS. "So hopefully being in the community, there's not the barrier of transportation, there's not the barrier of distance."

The new facility is a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Cook Children's Health Care System, JPS Health Network, the City of Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Residents will now have easy access to medical care for both children and adults, as well as a host of additional services.

The 40,000-square-foot neighborhood health center has the following services all under one roof:

• Cook Children's Neighborhood Health Center offering pediatric medicine, behavioral health, well-child and sick visit care
• JPS Health Center offering family medicine, behavioral health, women's health, social services and more
• WestAid on-site food pantry
• A demonstration kitchen staffed by a registered dietitian
• Workforce training program focused on customer service positions in health care
• Community education classes for pregnancy, lactation support, asthma, CPR, injury prevention, parenting support, adult health and more
• A Fort Worth Police storefront

"I'm so happy," said Yolanda Phillips, a mother of two who lives in the area. She used to spend a lot of time and gas money just to get care for her children.

"Oh my God, the travel is kind of a lot," Phillips said. "I think this is a great opportunity for us to be able to experience not having to travel as far. It is very important, very convenient, and I love it."

The facility is expected to serve more than 100,000 people living in and around Las Vegas Trail, including 20,000 children under the age of 14.

"It really is about empowerment of the community and making everybody's lives better overall," said Crain.

The neighborhood clinic is scheduled to fully open in August.