Nevada Briefs - November 2006

Nevada Briefs

Nevada Hospitals Recognized for Quality Care

At a recent meeting of the Nevada Hospital Association, HealthInsight, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Nevada and Utah, announced two Nevada hospitals as recipients of the 2006 HealthInsight Quality Award. The hospitals were selected for demonstrating high-quality healthcare and excellence in performance on publicly reported quality-of-care measures. The hospitals selected for awards were: St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Rose de Lima Campus (Henderson) and Washoe Medical Center (Reno). Washoe Medical Center subsequently changed its name to Renown Health.

NCED Approves Economic Development Grants

The Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED) recently awarded the first seven Nevada Economic Development Fund (NEDF) grants, which totaled $1,705,770. The grants are designed to help rural Nevada communities and blighted urban areas remain economically viable. The first applicants to receive grants were: the city of Caliente, for engineering and construction of a rail siding transloading facility; the city of Carlin, for improvements to the Carlin Industrial Park; the Board of Lincoln County Commissioners, to acquire land for the Alamo Industrial Park; the city of Ely for renovation of the Northern Nevada Railroad; and the Northern Nevada Development Authority for the Rural Regional Incubator Project. The Humboldt Development Authority received two grants: one to purchase land for a rail spur into the Winnemucca Airport Industrial Park and another for a workforce development project.

Elko Casino Group Changes Hands

McClaskey Holdings, owner of the Red Lion, Gold Country and High Desert casinos in Elko, has sold the properties to Nav Elko, a company owned by Las Vegas-based Navegante Group. The new owners, who have received the approval of the Nevada Gaming Commission, said they plan to retain the managers who oversee day-to-day operations at the casinos. Larry Woolf, founder and chairman of Navegante Group, said plans called for refurbishing the three properties with ticket-in, ticket-out slot machines. The new owners will also direct marketing efforts to attract local residents. The group manages four downtown Las Vegas casinos, in addition to the Grand Sierra in Reno and Casino Fandango in Carson City.

Convention Center Launches Recycling Efforts

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) introduced new, on-site recycling efforts during the recent MAGIC International convention at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The LVCVA contracted with Environmental Recovery Services, a Las Vegas company, to conduct on-site separation of recyclables and removal of the materials to a recycling facility. Its staff collected materials such as cardboard, wood, plastic, paper, carpet, carpet padding and aluminum for recycling. The company managed to achieve a recycling rate of 68 percent during MAGIC, resulting in savings of $28,000 for the LVCVA compared to the previous MAGIC trade show. Having the operation set up on-site meant a 100 percent cost savings for the sponsors of MAGIC because the fee normally paid for trash removal was completely eliminated. The LVCVA plans to implement similar recycling operations during the upcoming Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) show and the Global Gaming Expo (G2E).