New St. Jude’s Ranch facility provides healing, hope

We all love Boulder City. It’s quaint, quiet, and we have the lowest crime rates in the state. Sex trafficking may feel like a “big city problem” to many residents in our community. But we are just 30 minutes from a city where thousands of people are victimized every year. According to Awaken Justice Nevada:

■ More than five thousand individuals are sold for sex in Nevada each month.

■ It is estimated 300 of those individuals are minors.

■ The most recent data shows Nevada trails only Mississippi in human trafficking cases per-capita. Nevada had six cases per 100,000 residents.

■ Nevada ranks in the top 10 in the nation for human trafficking cases reported.

■ In 2017, Nevada ranked first per capita in the nation for prostitution and commercialized vice arrests for minors under 18.

Nevada ranks seventh in the number of human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, despite being one of the least populous states in the nation.

As a physician — as a father and grandfather — I get a pit in my stomach just reading that data. These feel like impossible statistics. Sex trafficking victims are subjected to regular abuse, trauma and manipulation. Often, survivors can’t break free of their traffickers – some even defending them. But I believe the human emotional condition can heal when given the right tools.

Just like a starfish that washes up on the beach in a storm, if you take the time to put it back in the water, you made a difference to that one. What can we do? We can partner together, and provide hope and safety. St. Jude’s is a safe place to heal: a refuge from mental, emotional and physical harm. Healing requires a personal commitment and hope that healing is possible. The new Healing Center at St. Jude’s Ranch for Children gives victims that hope. Executive Director Christina Vela worked for years to open the center, the first of its kind in the U.S.

I was invited to the grand opening of the Healing Center. There were raw, emotional moments during the event. One speaker shared her experience when her abusers told her, “There is no escape, we own you, you have to do what we say.” Today, she helps victims of sex trafficking heal.

Counselors and staff have the tools to lift survivors out of the deep despair and hopelessness. They will ensure a safe place to heal, eat, sleep, and grow. In partnership with Clark County public schools, victims will be able to attend classes. Acceptance and care given by counselors can restore dignity and self-respect for those who opt to be helped … and yes, even for those who may need to be helped again.

The Healing Center will help restore freedom, self-will, self-respect, and optimism for a better future. Some may fail. But St. Jude’s will still strive to help and to heal. Thank you, Christina and your staff, your Board of Directors, and your donors for shouldering this immense lift with passion and patience. I am grateful for all of you. I believe Boulder City will do our part to be good partners with you, for you and for the children.