Two developments to make patient services more easily accessible
By LAUREN ROMANO VIEW STAFF WRITER
Advertisement
For the majority of people living in northwest Las Vegas, the closest hospital is 5 or 6 miles away, and a drive to the doctor could take more than 20 minutes. This inconvenience could become a matter of life or death in a medical emergency.
"This area is greatly underserved as far as medical services are concerned," said Mike Young, president of Huffman Builders West.
Early next year, Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center and Huffman Builders West's Centennial Hills Center plan to bring more than 600,000 square feet of medical facilities to the growing number of people in the area.
Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center will be located on 40 acres at Durango Drive and Deer Springs Way, close to both the Las Vegas Beltway and U.S. Highway 95. The Universal Health Services facility will open with 171 beds, including a 35-bed emergency room, a 30-bed obstetrics unit, a six-bed neonatal nursery and an approximately 30-bed intensive care unit.
The eight-story building also will feature emergency services, a women's center, a level two or standard nursery, surgical services for both inpatient and outpatient needs, cardiology care, and endoscopy services.
"We will open with a level three neonatal nursery, which is a higher level of care. It's better equipped and not a standard in all hospitals," said Dr. Jon Sewell, chief executive officer and managing director of Centennial Hills Hospital.
Universal Health Services' fifth hospital in the valley will open with two empty floors, one located below its ICU and the other located above obstetrics. This will allow the hospital to add 80 or 90 more beds without additional construction. There also is a proposed tower, and if it is approved and completed, it will bring the full-service hospital to a total of 400 beds.
"As the population grows, services are being added," Sewell said. "The radiology and pharmacy lab are being designed at twice the size of what they need. The hospital is being designed for growth."
Additionally, two medical office buildings will be located on the campus, offering primary and specialty medical care.
Health care offices near hospitals are common throughout the city.
"The average is about 1,500 square feet of medical facility per (hospital) bed. In the northwest, only 500 square feet (per bed) are planned," Young said.
Meanwhile, Huffman Builders West will break ground on its own project in March -- a 295,000-square-foot, 15-building office park on Durango Drive and Tropical Parkway, a mile and a half from the hospital. Centennial Hills Center will consist of 90 percent medical offices, including primary care services, oncology, pediatrics, dentistry, diagnostic surgery and possibly an urgent care facility.
"This will be the largest nonhospital medical campus in the northwest, possibly the city, serving a very large underserved area," Young said.
Centennial Hills Center will open with 12 single-story, one two-story, and two three-story buildings, including a two-story parking structure. Initially, there was some opposition by residents in the area because of the size and height of the buildings, even though the plans follow Centennial Town Center guidelines.
"In order to have all the facilities under one roof you have to have three stories," Young said. "We made agreements on lighting and parking and came up with a plan that made everyone happy."
There will be 150,000 square feet of medical space for sale to physicians.
"We want to convert physicians from tenants to property owners," Young said. "We provide financing, construction, technology and let them concentrate on being doctors."
The architects working on designing the unique spaces have more than 25 years of experience in medical construction.
"It is very different from being an insurance office. Codes are different, parking, electricity, even the hallways," Young said.
The center will have 50,000 square feet of retail shops, which could include a dry cleaner, a bank and restaurants.
The facilities also will give the doctors, nurses and other medical professionals living in the northwest a shorter commute.
The hospital plans to hire 500 employees by the time the facility opens, and a total of 800 within three years.
"I have been talking to doctors who would like to move out here right now but there's nowhere to move," Sewell said.
West Valley Imaging plans to open its third Las Vegas office in the Centennial Hills Center. The 30,000-square-foot office will have a 3-tesla Magnetic Resonance Imaging machine and a 64-Slice CT scanner.
"We wanted to provide coverage that is convenient for people to get to," said Dr. William Boren, co-owner of West Valley Imaging.
Archived Editions| Advertising | Contact The Staff
