How Southern Nevada Medical Services is Fighting to Meet Community Needs

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the Las Vegas community continues to grow, the valley’s medical services are struggling to keep pace.

West Henderson is a place that is expanding its resources and making it easier for residents to access quality care.

” Crowded ! Very crowded,” said Christine Milano, a longtime Henderson resident.

Milano declared the need to more hospital capacity close to home is personal.

“My husband and I had to go to the emergency room and we both had to wait half a day to be admitted or see a doctor,” Milano said.

Milano said her husband was unconscious and battling a serious infection. She said he needed urgent medical attention, but unfortunately, she said they didn’t get the help they needed quickly.

This is a difficult situation that highlights the ongoing challenge of overcrowded emergency rooms at many Southern Nevada hospitals, including St. Rose Siena.

Last year, Channel 13’s Abel Garcia gave you a tour of the new fifth floor of the hospital under construction. This floor was part of a larger expansion plan to address these overcrowding issues.

Capacity issues force Henderson Hospital to treat emergency room patients in hallway

At one point, Channel 13 reported that the entire hospital was operating at 110 percent capacity, forcing many patients to be treated in hallways.

Nearly a year later, the expansion is complete and the new floor will open soon.

An additional 36 rooms will be added to the facility, providing much-needed relief to patients.

As St. Rose of Siena expands, one question remains.

Abel: “Will you have enough medical staff to care for the patients who will fill these rooms? »

Katherine Vergos, Dignity Health Las Vegas Market President: “Yes, yes we will. We have relationships with physicians in the community and have grown with them. Hospitalists will serve this floor along with surgeons to ensure we are meeting patient needs.”

Just a seven-minute drive from St. Rose Siena Hospital is the new West Henderson Hospital. It is not yet open, but is expected to open before the end of this year.

Abel: “How does that make you feel?” »

Milan: “Great, I mean, it’s great that the community is growing and the services are growing with it.”

The new facility is expected to open with 150 patient rooms, 36 emergency beds and 8 accelerated beds.

CEO Chris Loftus said the $385 million facility is being built to serve West Henderson’s growing population.

“There’s so much growth happening, and what we’ve seen, even during and after COVID, is that we’re often underutilized. We just don’t have enough inpatient beds for the patients who need to be here,” Loftus said.

For Milano and many others like her, more hospital services in Henderson offer hope, but she said more is needed.

“More emergency rooms throughout the valley would be a good thing so you don’t need to go to the hospital and can go to an emergency facility,” Milano said.

The new floor of St. Rose Siena Hospital is expected to open its doors to patients sometime in October, while West Henderson Hospital is expected to welcome its first patients in early December.