County OKs study for children’s hospital

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, March 22, 2000 | 11:17 a.m.

One physician told of a couple's anguish when their 2-month-old infant, suffering from a respiratory infection, couldn't get a bed for 14 hours at University Medical Center's pediatric ward.

Another doctor explained that a 22-month-old baby infected with HIV had to be flown to Los Angeles because the Clark County hospital simply couldn't provide the necessary treatment.

"I look forward to the day when we can take care of our own children," Dr. Jerry Cade told the UMC board Tuesday.

The board, which consists of Clark County commissioners, took the first step in reaching that goal Tuesday when it voted 7-0 to move forward with a feasibility study for a 152-bed children's hospital at UMC.

The study will be conducted by Arthur Andersen and is expected to be presented to the County Commission by late April or early May.

If the commission determines the county can afford to operate the children's hospital, it will put a tax-neutral bond issue for the construction of the facility on the November ballot.

A UMC report says the initial phase of the children's hospital is expected to cost nearly $90,000 to build. It would include six operating rooms, 152 beds and about 30 exam rooms.

"The next step in infrastructure in trying to be a major metropolitan city ... is to create this type of facility," Cade said.

The county plans to build the new hospital on the UMC campus on Charleston Boulevard east of Rancho Drive. The property needed to accommodate the 255,840-square-foot building is expected to cost at least $4 million.

While all seven UMC board members strongly support the project, some expressed discomfort with making the plans public before determining whether it is financially feasible.

Commissioners Bruce Woodbury, Yvonne Atkinson Gates and Myrna Williams said if the Arthur Andersen report is not positive, they will scratch the plans.

Atkinson Gates said hospital administrators should have conducted the study before bringing it to the board -- the process that is typically used for capital projects.

"We don't even know if this will pay for itself," she said. "We are getting people hyped up about it. We don't want everybody to get excited to build a hospital we can't even pay for."

Hospital staff presented a report that shows "free-standing" children's hospitals are more successful than facilities tucked inside standard adult facilities. The report says net revenue for independent children's hospitals rose 6.5 percent in 1998 while the revenue for children's hospitals inside main hospitals increased by 3.3 percent.

The profit margin for UMC's pediatric ward, which includes 71 beds, was more than $4 million last fiscal year, according to the hospital's report.

"It seems from the information that has been provided and the testimony from doctors, it's clear to see pediatric facilities in general are money-makers," said Commissioner Erin Kenny, the UMC board chairwoman who pushed for the project.

"There is no reason to think this facility in its scope and size would be any different."

The UMC children's hospital would be Southern Nevada's first free-standing children's facility. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center has the largest pediatric wing with more than 100 beds.

Doctors who addressed the board Tuesday said a county children's hospital is long overdue.

Dr. Meena Vohra, chairwoman of pediatrics at UMC, said she came to the hospital 10 years ago when there was talk of building a children's facility. She said there was a clear need for a hospital then and now it is vital.

"The demand has now outpaced (UMC's) capacity," she said. "Children of all ages are backed up in emergency rooms throughout the valley."

The demand for beds doesn't only exist for children. Adults also are left waiting on hospital gurneys for available rooms. If the children's hospital is built, the pediatric ward will be moved from the second floor of UMC's trauma center making more beds available for adults.

Adrienne Packer covers county government for the Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-2310 or by e-mail at adrienne@lasvegassun.com