MountainView Hospital makes case to become Level III trauma center

If things go as some people hope, northwest Las Vegas could be getting a Level III trauma center at MountainView Hospital.

The plan has been under consideration for years but needed updated numbers to show demand, as the last assessment was done in 2004.

“We reached out to Abaris summer, last year, to do a needs assessment for Clark County,” said Jennifer Renner, registered nurse and emergency services administrator for the HCA division. “Based on those results is when we decided to pursue this.”

The updated figures, said Bill Bullard, senior vice president of Abaris Group, a health care consulting firm, determined that the community had grown by 40 percent in the past 12 years, mostly in the outer suburban areas.

“We determined there were enough trauma patients being hurt in the northwest and southwest for an additional Level III trauma center in each of those areas,” he said. “In fact, there are more people being severely hurt in the northwest and southwest than in the southeast, which is where we currently have a Level III trauma center, that being Siena (St. Rose Dominican Hospital-Siena Campus).”

The fact that the Regional Trauma Advisory Board has first shot at approving any new trauma center was seen as troublesome. Bullard likened it to any new casino to bebuilt having to first be approved by the existing casinos. He asked if any new casinos would ever have been built if that were the case.

The ultimate decision is made by the health district’s board. It is scheduled to consider the matter June 23. The public can email comments to emergencymedical@snhdmail.org.

“Because we were denied at the Trauma Advisory Board, we were left with no other option until we can get that board to change its mind, essentially,” Renner said. “We could really use community support to voice their opinion so the health district has a well-rounded idea of the support that’s out there in the northwest community who would like a trauma center.”

The health district said it was premature for it to comment on the issue.

Currently, the valley has only one Level III unit at Siena in Henderson, with Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center the only Level II unit. The only Level I unit is at University Medical Center.

Trauma protocol dictates that patients with serious health issues be taken to designated trauma centers rather than standard emergency rooms.

Southern Hills and Centennial Hills hospitals are also seeking Level III designation.

“The data and volumes of trauma calls support a Level III in the southwest and the northwest,” said Renner, “but won’t support two centers in the northwest, only one. We think MountainView is the (better) choice due to its location and ability to reach more patients than Centennial.”

There are four levels for trauma centers. Levels I and II handle the most severe cases and have the greatest amount of on-site resources available. Level III is for people who come in by ambulance and have been in traumatic situations but are stable. Level IV patients can be taken to the emergency room by family or friends and need to be treated and evaluated to decide if they need to be taken to a more sophisticated trauma center.

“We’re looking at 1½ to two patients a day who would be appropriate for trauma (classification), and instead of that patient being transported to UMC or Sunrise, they would stay (at MountainView),” Bullard said. “Not only do the patients get to the hospital faster but now the ambulances are available more because they’re not traveling so far. It means more trauma resources are available when there’s a big disaster: a train derailment to a bleacher collapse or a really bad 10-, 12-car crash. Those would overwhelm one or two trauma centers, so this would improve the whole system.”

Sun City Summerlin’s homeowners association sent out a notice to residents that said, in part, “Trauma centers play a crucial role in providing emergency care when injuries happen because they have the appropriate resources and expertise to recognize life-threatening injuries and save our lives. Falls, for example, account for the vast majority of trauma cases among senior citizens and being prepared to respond to such instances must be a focus for our community.”

“What would be the downside of having a trauma center?” asked Esther Hannon, a Sun City Summerlin resident. “We just moved here, and I think having a trauma center close by would be good.”

The possibility of MountainView getting approval is not assured. The Regional Trauma Advisory Board did not support its application when the hospital first formally explored the possibility in October.

“The biggest pushback that we’re getting in the current system is from the existing trauma centers, and many people publicly are concerned that this would have a detrimental effect on UMC,” Bullard said. “It’s important to remember that the Level III trauma centers take care of the more minor cases, and if it turns out to be something significant, they send the patient to the Level I or II centers. So, looking at the current system, and Siena being a Level III, 85 percent of the people they see either get discharged from the emergency center or get sent to a Level I or Level II facility. They see less than four patients a year who should have gone to a Level I or II center right off the bat. So, the impact is three or four patients a year.”

If permission is granted, different steps will go into motion: training the current staff; setting up protocols; acquiring specialty equipment; and hiring more staff, as many as seven to fill the needs of the community at this point. Bullard said the size of the building or the emergency room will not necessarily be affected as changes will be more subtle.

At current population levels, MountainView is expected to handle roughly two trauma cases a day, said Bullard, adding the area sees 500 to 600 trauma cases annually.

Renner said the cost of putting the trauma center into place was difficult to determine as it would encompass many things, including a dedicated CT scanner.

“We’re undergoing that expansion right now at MountainView, including a second heli pad for air ambulances to deliver patients, and of course there’s the cost of training staff and adding staff and the accreditation cost itself. So there are fees here and there, and they’re different at each hospital,” she said. “The (rate) that our population is growing, we need to keep up with that growth.”

To reach Summerlin Area View reporter Jan Hogan, email jhogan@viewnews.com or call 702-387-2949.