LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As the Las Vegas community continues to grow, medical services in the valley are fighting to keep up.
West Henderson is one location that is expanding resources and making access to quality care easier for residents.
"Crowded! Very crowded," said Christine Milano, a longtime Henderson resident.
Milano said the need for more hospital capacity near her 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 to see a doctor," Milano said.
Milano said her husband was unconscious and fighting a severe infection. She said he urgently needed medical attention— but unfortunately, she said they didn't get the help they needed quickly.
This is a tough situation that highlights the ongoing challenge of overcrowded emergency rooms in 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 which was under construction. That floor was part of the larger expansion plan to address these overcrowding issues.
At one point, Channel 13 reported the fact that the entire hospital was operating at 110 percent capacity— forcing many patients to be treated in hallways.
Almost a year later, the expansion is complete and the new floor will be opening soon.
36 additional rooms are being added to the facility— providing much-needed relief for patients.
As St. Rose Siena expands, one question remains.
Abel: "Will you have enough medical personnel to take care of the patients that will be filling these rooms?"
Katherine Vergos, President of Dignity Health Las Vegas Market: "Yes, yes we will. We have relationships with physicians in the community and we’ve expanded with them. Hospitalists will be serving this floor along with surgeons to ensure we meet patient needs."
Just a seven minute drive down the road from St. Rose Siena hospital is the new West Henderson Hospital. It is not open yet, but is expected to open before the end of this year.
Abel: "How does this make you feel?"
Milano: "Great, I mean it's great that the community is growing and the services are growing along with it."
The new facility is set to open with 150 patient rooms, 36 ER beds and 8 fast-track beds.
CEO, Chris Loftus, said this $385 million facility is being built to serve the exploding population of west Henderson.
“There's so much growth happening, and what we found, even through COVID and after, is that we’re often under-bedded. We simply don’t have enough inpatient beds for patients who need to be here," Loftus said.
This hospital is really needed for the community, and we’re excited to be able to provide that.
For Milano and many others like her, more hospital services in Henderson offer hope— but she said more is still needed.
"More ER’s across the valley would be good so that you don't have to go to the hospital and you can go to an ER facility," Milano said.
The new floor at St. Rose Siena Hospital is set to open to patients sometime in October, while the West Henderson Hospital is slated to welcome its first patients in early December.
