Clinic’s CEO wants to help

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman said Wednesday that he doesn't care whether the local medical community supports or opposes a plan to bring the Cleveland Clinic to downtown Las Vegas.

The head of the Cleveland Clinic, meanwhile, gave a tiny hint as to what the institution might consider building in Symphony Park, next to the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.

Dr. Toby Cosgrove said the trend "we're generally heading for as we expand in other places" is outpatient services, a broad category of health care that's received outside of traditional hospitals.

But he wouldn't be specific.

"We don't know," said Cosgrove, the clinic's president and CEO. "We need to understand the market. We know there are good doctors here. We're not interested particularly in going nose-to-nose with people.

"We need to understand what's here, what the strengths are, how we can help, what the opportunities are."

Goodman expressed frustration that previous efforts to bring the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center to Las Vegas met with opposition from the local medical community.

"During the course of romancing (the Cleveland Clinic), the local doctors were up in arms," Goodman said.

" 'We can do it,' they would say. 'Let us do it. You don't need Cleveland Clinic.' I said, 'Well, do it.' Of course, they didn't."

Cosgrove wouldn't comment on whether the complementary approach he outlined might head off some local opposition, saying he didn't know the local medical community well enough.

Goodman was more blunt.

"The good thing is, we don't care," he said.

Goodman then brought up the recent dark chapter in local medical history -- the endoscopy clinic that was caught reusing syringes and vials of medicine, breaches of medical procedure that may have put thousands at risk of contracting blood-borne diseases.

"After the endoscopy situation, if we hadn't taken the stupid (business) license off the wall, they might still be open with the way they do business around here," Goodman said. "I really don't care if the local docs object or not."

Both men made their comments at a meeting of the Review-Journal's editorial board.

A written request for comment was submitted to the Clark County Medical Society late Wednesday. There was no response by press time.

The Cleveland Clinic is studying what could be developed on four parcels in Symphony Park, a 61-acre former brownfield that so far is home to the Lou Ruvo center and the under-construction Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

The city of Las Vegas owns the land.

Under the current agreement with the clinic, the city would donate two of the parcels for development. The conveyance of the other two, either by donation or sale, hasn't been settled yet.

Cosgrove said three things are attractive about Southern Nevada: its historical fast growth, the lack of academic medicine and an openness to experimentation.

"You're fast growing and ... you're one of the only major cities in the United States that doesn't have an academic medical center," he said.

"If ever there were entrepreneurs, here you are. You'll try anything. If someone says, 'Well, this is the way a hotel has got to be designed,' you guys couldn't stand that."

Contact reporter Alan Choate at achoate@reviewjournal.com or 702-229-6435.