LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Southern Hills Hospital is expanding and adding more beds to meet the growing needs of the community.
I toured the new floors and talked with hospital leaders as well as people who live in the area to understand the impact this expansion will have on our community.
That includes people like Kelly Lawson. She moved to the southwest in the early 1990s. Over the years, she's watched her little corner of town undergo what she says is a remarkable transformation.
"In the 30 years, I have been amazed how we have grown so fast and incredibly expanded throughout the valley," Lawson said. "We love this area and we decided to stay here and it's even better that the hospital is this close to us."
Living just five minutes from Southern Hills Hospital, Lawson relies on it for all her medical needs. However, she is also concerned about its ability to keep pace with the area's rapid growth.
"There is a lot of open land and not that many hospitals."
But after seeing cranes outside the hospital and the construction of two additional floors, she tells me she feels a sense of relief.
Southern Hills Hospital opened its doors in 2004. And with all the growth in the southwest part of the valley, expansion was critical.
So in July 2022, Southern Hills Hospital's Chief Operating Officer Jason Desai says construction to expand their facilities began. He said adding two additional floors was necessary.
"We are growing faster than the national average, anywhere upwards of 5% more than the national average," Desai explains.
Desai said the hospital, which has been operating some days at 100% capacity, will now have an additional 46 beds. This brings the total number of beds from 265 to 311.
Channel 13 was the first to see what it looks like.
"It is great that we are adding all of these rooms inside of your hospital. But do we have enough medical personnel to treat patients," I asked Desai.
"We have done a great job of getting prepared for the growth so we have multiple different programs where we invest in our students and get them to where we want them to be," Desai said. "We will have enough folks to care for all of our patients."
Desai said that the new Galen School Of Nursing at the hospital offers a direct pathway for students to join the medical staff as doctors and physicians.
As for Lawson, she said she has peace of mind knowing that her hospital is evolving alongside her community.
"We are excited to have this expansion," Lawson said. "The community is going to be real happy about it."
Desai says that the sixth floor at the hospital will be operational as early as this summer.
