Lewis’ proposed hospital killed in state Senate

Wednesday, April 23, 2003 | 9:32 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Comedian Jerry Lewis' proposed Las Vegas hospital died in the state Senate Tuesday.

Senate Bill 156 to allow one of Lewis' doctors, Benjamin Venger, and Venger's partner, Jeff Simmons, to build a 15-bed specialty hospital for spine and pain management was scheduled for a vote.

But Sen. Mark Amodei, R-Carson City, moved the bill to the desk of the Senate without a vote. The bill died because the deadline for passing Senate measures was Tuesday.

Amodei said the bill would have allowed a small hospital to siphon off paying customers while the other hospitals in Clark County were left to take care of too many indigent patients in their emergency rooms at a loss. He said there were no safeguards built into SB156 to prevent that.

Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, who pushed SB156, said she allowed the bill to be moved to the secretary's desk without a vote, leaving open the possibility that the issue might be revived in the Assembly.

She said the bill ran into strong opposition from the Nevada Hospital Association.

Venger and Simmons said they were ready to build an $18 million to $20 million hospital that could be located in downtown Las Vegas. It would be named after the entertainer, who was a major supporter of the effort.

Lewis had testified in support of the hospital bill, which had been approved 6-1 by the Senate Committee on Human Resources Committee.