Southern Hills Hospital to Break Ground On Nevada's Newest Community ER
Off-site facility in Las Vegas to increase access, address capacity issues at local ERs, and deliver convenient care to the community
Southern Hills Hospital announced its groundbreaking ceremony for Nevada’s new, community, hospital-based emergency room, ER at the Lakes, at the southwest corner of Desert Inn and Fort Apache roads in Las Vegas. The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 at 10 a.m. The facility is slated to open in the third quarter of 2016 with its 24-hour facility, which will operate as a fully-integrated department of the hospital while serving patients at a convenient, off-site location. Southern Hills Hospital is a part of the Sunrise Health System, which is operated by HCA’s Far West Division, a leading network of hospitals and surgery centers across California and Nevada.
Not only is the new ER designed to address capacity issues at traditional ERs in Southern Nevada, but it is designed to speak to the need of a neighborhood ER as convenient care next door. The approximately 10,000-square-foot facility will include 12 patient rooms and will be staffed by board-certified ER physicians and nurses, with a wide range of on-call hospital specialists. The facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ER at the Lakes will accept vehicle ambulance services and walk-in patients, and will be fully equipped to provide emergent and urgent care, in addition to ancillary services. The facility will offer a fully functional lab and blood bank, a pharmacy, and a full spectrum of radiology services, including CT scan, X-ray and ultrasound. The provider-based ER will also provide pediatric services, with a separate entrance for young patients.
ER at the Lakes will adhere to the same regulatory and accreditation standards as traditional emergency departments. The facility will provide all of the services available at on-site ERs, with the exception of trauma care and medical services for patients transported by air ambulances. Patients who require hospital admission will be transported to an affiliated hospital that meets the required level of care.
“Southern Hills Hospital recognizes the critical need for additional ER beds in Las Vegas at a convenient, neighborhood location, and we are proud to open the ER at the Lakes as an extension of our hospital’s emergency department,” said Adam Rudd, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Southern Hills Hospital. “With this new facility, we can offer an additional option for community members to receive high-quality health care even closer to home and provide the community with an ER in their backyard.”
Southern Nevada hospitals have experienced significant patient volume growth in recent years. Total ER visits and admissions at 13 hospitals across the Las Vegas Valley increased 10.5 percent from 2012 to 2014, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The community is also experiencing overall population growth. Nevada is projected to add 528,107 new residents over the next 20 years, according to the Nevada State Demographer’s Office, including 328,379 additional people in Clark County.
Southern Nevada ERs have experienced recent issues with overcrowding. Several local hospitals declared states of internal disaster in early 2015 as a result of the high number of patients seeking ER care for flu-like symptoms. As a result of capacity issues, some hospitals were forced to temporarily close to ambulances.
Clark County Commissioner Susan Brager expressed her support for the ER at the Lakes project, which is expected to have a positive impact on the local economy.
“Southern Hills Hospital continues to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to the health of our community,” Brager said. “This innovative ER facility will help improve access to care while creating new jobs for the hard-working residents of Clark County.”
The Sunrise Health System is cognizant of the growing demand for additional ER facilities in Southern Nevada, added Rudd.
“While the new ER at the Lakes facility is set to open in the fall of 2016, we are exploring potential options to open additional provider-based emergency rooms in the Las Vegas Valley,” Rudd said. “These cutting-edge facilities have proven successful in many other areas of the country, including HCA markets in Texas, and we expect to see similar results in Southern Nevada.”