Since the population began booming in Las Vegas, hospitals have been playing catch-up. Less than two years after the Valley Health System opened its fourth Las Vegas hospital, Spring Valley Medical Center, it broke ground on a fifth facility, Centennial Hills Medical Center, which is scheduled to open in June 2007.
The $82 million facility will support 170 private beds, 400 employees, a large obstetrics department, neonatal intensive care unit, 35-bed emergency room department and 32-bed intensive care unit, said Jon Sewell, the hospital’s chief executive officer. The building also includes two patient care floors that will be finished in a later phase to house another 80 beds. The site contains enough land for a patient tower containing 400 beds, which may be developed in future if needed.
“If you look at where the hospital is located, there’s not another hospital within five miles,” said Sewell, adding that the facility is located in northwest Las Vegas, off the intersection of I-215 and I-95. “Within those five miles, there are about 200,000 people. [The area is] projected to grow by another 20 percent over the next five years. That’s a very significant population that’s underserved right now.”
During the hospital’s first year of operation, its operating budget will be approximately $60 million, with more than half devoted to payroll. That number is expected to climb to $80 million by 2010, partly due to the anticipated hiring of another 200 employees.
Meanwhile, Valley Health System’s other facilities have expanded their services. Valley Hospital Medical Center spent $1.7 million relocating its well-baby nursery and building an education room, two labor/delivery recovery rooms and 10 more surgery beds. Late in 2005, Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center opened a new orthopedic service center and a cardiac progressive care unit that includes a chest pain center, the first in the state to be accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers.
Likewise, Summerlin Hospital Medical Center opened a second catheter lab and a pediatric intensive care unit this past fall, which was part of a $7.8 million reinvestment project. Early next year, it will start performing open-heart surgeries. Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center is spending approximately $5.6 million for a new sleep center and inpatient rehabilitation unit, and will open its second catheter lab by early next year.
“The underlying theme is to make sure service areas are fully covered from an access-to-care standpoint and to deliver very good care,” said Sewell, adding that each hospital reflects the different needs of its surrounding community. “Over the next 18 to 20 months, I’m going to be devoting my time first and foremost to recruiting medical staff to service this hospital. By doing so, the full nature of the scope of services in our programs will start to become apparent.”
Valley Health System is owned by Universal Health Services, a hospital management company based in King of Prussia, Penn., that owns and operates 84 acute care and behavioral health hospitals, radiation centers and ambulatory surgery centers in 22 states and Puerto Rico.
The Las Vegas metro area currently supports approximately 14 hospitals that serve nearly 2 million residents. While Valley Health System has no immediate plans to build other medical facilities, it will continue to scout new locations for hospitals in high growth areas, added Rick Plummer, director of marketing at Valley Health System.
“As the community continues to grow, once we get Centennial Hills up and running, I’m sure we’ll be looking to see where else we can serve the community,” Plummer said.