How medical services in Southern Nevada struggle to meet community needs

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the Las Vegas community continues to grow, medical services in the Valley are struggling to keep up.

West Henderson is a location 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 said the need more hospital capacity The closeness 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 get 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 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 took you on a tour of the new fifth floor of the hospital under construction. This floor was part of the larger expansion plan to address these overcrowding issues.

Capacity issues are forcing Henderson Hospital to treat emergency room patients in the hallway

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

Almost a year later, the expansion is completed and the new floor will soon open.

The facility will be expanded to include 36 additional rooms, providing much-needed relief to patients.

As St. Rose Siena expands, one question remains.

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

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

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

Abel: “How do you feel about that?”

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

The new facility will open with 150 patient rooms, 36 emergency room beds and 8 emergency beds.

CEO Chris Loftus said this $385 million facility is being built to serve West Henderson's exploding population.

“There is so much growth happening and we have found that even during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond, we are often under-bedded. “We simply don’t have enough inpatient beds for patients who need to stay 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 across the valley would be good so that people don't have to go to the hospital and can go to an emergency room,” Milano said.

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