UNLV cancels hearing about HIV program
After months of silence from
UNLV on the temporary closure and reopening of a maternal HIV clinic, the public was poised to receive some answers beginning Tuesday.
But a five-day Chapter 6 hearing related to the program’s operation has been canceled.
Dr. Echezona Ezeanolue and nurse Dina Patel, the two UNLV faculty members who ran the clinic and the subjects of the administrative hearing, are no longer employed by the university.
Ezeanolue’s last day at UNLV was Thursday, and Patel’s last day was Friday. The university placed them on paid administrative leave in October. Ezeanolue and Patel did not return requests for comment.
The university would not com
CLINIC
ored by friends and family at a Boy Scouts court of honor ceremony. His mother, Kathy Touma, made a video that included footage from when he was 7.
At the end of the ceremony, Matt gave a speech without prepared notes, thanking his family and Scout leaders who helped him along the way.
“It was impromptu. It was perfect,” Bob Touma told the Las Vegas Review-journal on Monday from his family’s living room. “Everybody was in awe of Matt. He was charismatic. I never knew he had that in him.”
It dawns on him now, Bob Touma said, that he has to plan a similar event. But this time his son won’t be there to witness the celebration in his honor.
Matt’s death left his parents and older brother, 22-year-old Nick, reeling. There were no warning signs, the family said. They had spent Tuesday and Wednesday night together watching Marvel superhero movies to prepare for the latest in the franchise to be released this month.
“We’re broken,” Kathy Touma said. The family took annual trips to Disneyland and wore matching shirts, always seeking out Goofy for a group photo. Matt and his dad often swam in their pool at night, his dad sipping a cocktail and playing music. They also watched “Doctor Who” together.
With a fresh driver’s license, Matt recently got a job at Raising Cane’s and was saving up for a car. He didn’t know his father planned to give Matt his truck.
At Centennial, Matt was on the football and swimming teams and was part of the National Honor Society and business club DECA.
Friends and teammates have visited Matt’s family over the past few days, bringing candles and condolences.
Kathy Touma had a message for all of them: Don’t feel guilty. There were no signs or plans, she told them.
“I didn’t know myself,” she said Monday. “It’s tough enough for an adult to wonder, but can you imagine being a 14-year-old and carrying that with you?”
The family plans to attend Tuesday’s vigil, where they’ll be joined by the families and friends of Matt, Dylan, A.J. and Brooke.
Lanterns and candles
A candlelight vigil for Dylan,
A.J. and Brooke was held Friday at Knickerbocker Park. Poster boards filled with photos were set up as makeshift memorials with candles, and friends and family members spoke about their loved ones lost.
The students had visited Southern
California for spring break and were just months from graduating.
More candles will be lit Tuesday, and lanterns will be released as the Centennial community works to heal.
Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Meghindelaney on Twitter.