RICHARD STEPHENS / PVT Industrial fans, at lower right, dry out the main hallway at the Beatty Clinic after a flood temporarily crippled the facility. Advertisement

Beatty Clinic employees were greeted by a flood when they arrived for work Wednesday morning, Feb. 3.

A pipe under a sink had burst, flooding approximately two-thirds of the building with up to two inches of water.

The clinic has been closed since then, and patients are being directed to the Amargosa Clinic until the Beatty facility can be reopened. The number to call for appointments is 775-372-5432.

Although the goal is to be reopen the clinic Feb. 23, Larry Lizakowski of Belfor Property Restoration, the company handling the repairs, said it might be able to open on a limited basis next week.

Work on the building will not be completed by then, but the plan is for the reception area, front entrance, and emergency room end of the building to be finished and opened first, and it might be possible for the clinic to operate in that space while the rest of the building is being finished.

Lizakowski says there was surprisingly little mold, considering the extent of the flooding, and it was confined to a few small areas. Another company will handle mold abatement.

The mold has been encapsulated in the interim, so there is no danger, but the air in the building will have to be tested and certified.

Belfor workmen have been using fans to dry out the building and have removed molding, drywall and cupboards, carpet, and anything else that was damaged or destroyed by the water.

Clinic employee Robin Scarborough noted that many of the patient's clinics have transportation problems that make it difficult for them to go to Amargosa Valley for treatment.

Lilliam Shell, regional operations director for Nevada Health Centers, is eager to get the clinic back in operation to serve the community. She said her company anticipates signing an extended contract to operate the clinic within the month.

Shell also pointed out an unrelated problem -- a leak in the roof around a skylight in a room where files are kept. This will also be remediated by Belfor.