Valley pediatric services growing

Michelle Swafford

Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2004 | 11:16 a.m.

Las Vegas Valley hospitals are increasing their services for children and premature babies.

Hospitals say they are filling an unmet need, especially in the community hospitals outside of central Las Vegas.

Universal Health Services Inc.-owned Summerlin Hospital recently added 18 pediatric beds, bringing its total to 29 pediatric beds. Within the pediatric department, 12 of the beds will be for pediatric intensive care patients, which will be available in the first part of next year.

"This was an unmet need and underserved area," Summerlin Hospital interim Chief Executive Tim Hingtgen said. "Any pediatrician would tell you that a child is not a small adult. It's a different population so it's in the best interest of the patients to separate them (children and adults). Very few specialists would do both adults and pediatrics because there is that big difference."

Summerlin also added a nine-bed neonatal intensive care unit in February, which cares for babies who are born before 32 weeks of gestation, weigh less than 1,500 grams, have a highly acute condition or are on a ventilator, Joanna Bacon, director of women's services for Summerlin Hospital. Summerlin also has an eight-bed, level-two nursery, which is for babies who have complications, but are not severe enough to need level-three, or neonatal, care, she said.

In addition to a physical expansion, Summerlin broadened its children's services by adding pediatric gastroenterology procedure.

"We've now started doing some of the pediatric surgeries for NICU babies," Bacon said. "Before they were transferred to Valley Hospital. As Las Vegas grows out in Summerlin and Henderson those areas needs to be met as well."

Kyla is a 40-day-old girl who was born at 34 weeks gestation and was the first Summerlin neonatal patient Nov. 26 to have the gastroenterology surgery, which involves placing a tube inside her to help her eat and develop.

Bacon said the neonatal intensive care unit has had twice as many patients as anticipated.

Two of Summerlin's three sister hospitals also focus on children's services. Spring Valley Hospital, which opened October 2003, began offering a six-bed level-two nursery services last spring.

Valley Hospital offers 19 neonatal intensive care beds but does not offer pediatric care, hospital spokeswoman Gretchen Papez said.

HCA Inc.-owned Sunrise Hospital is undertaking a multi-year expansion that will increase the hospital's general pediatric beds to 56 private rooms from 46 beds in semi-private rooms, said Minta Albietz, associate chief nursing officer and vice president of Sunrise's children's hospital. The number of pediatric intensive care beds is increasing to 24 from 13 beds. Fourteen beds will be designated for children's cancer patients, which is up from 12 beds. In August, those projects are scheduled to be done.

Also, Sunrise added in June an outpatient pediatric dialysis treatment, which has four designated beds now and will have nine beds when the expansion is completed. On Monday, Sunrise performed its first kidney transplant on a child.

Sunrise is increasing its neonatal intensive care beds to 72 from 54 when it opens in November.

"Children are the most precious resource we have and they deserve to have best health care available a disease process that affects a child could have long-term ramifications," Albietz said.

It is estimated that between 2004 and 2009, Las Vegas Valley hospitals will treat an additional 55,000 children, which is more than a 15 percent increase, said Amy Stevens, vice president of business development for HCA's Las Vegas market.

"Beyond the sheer numbers of the child population is the degree to which we save little, little babies' lives," she said. "We are saving them at younger ages. That means they'll need health care attention."

One of the reasons hospitals focus on children is because women make the majority of health care decisions so pediatric care is an entry point for the key decision maker, Stevens said.

In addition to pediatric services, Sunrise is creating a high-risk pregnancy center to help mothers earlier in the process, she said.

HCA-owned Southern Hills Hospital is waiting for its license for nine level-two nursery beds, which is likely to open later this month, hospital spokeswoman Annette Kinsman said.

Catholic Healthcare West-owned St. Rose Dominican Hospitals -- Siena Campus added a fourth floor with 14 pediatric beds in October 2003. The hospital is considering a level-two nursery in the future and has pediatric beds set aside in the emergency room to treat children during peak times, hospital spokesman Andy North said.

IASIS Healthcare LLC-owned North Vista Hospital is planning to add a six-bed level-two nursery when it expands its women's services department, which is scheduled to open in the spring and will complement the hospital's 25 general nursery beds, hospital CEO Jim McKinney said.

"We're in a pretty poor and underserved area and we end up with a lot of drop-ins needing emergency care deliveries," he said. "We decided we could offer higher level of service."

North Vista, formerly Lake Mead Hospital, is licensed for six pediatric beds and has no plans to expand that number at this time, McKinney said.

Clark County-owned University Medical Center offers a variety of children's services, hospital spokeswoman Cheryl Persinger said.

The hospital has 21 pediatric beds in its emergency room, which are separated from the adult beds, she said. There are 26 general pediatric beds, 36 neonatal intensive care beds and 14 pediatric intensive care beds.

UMC also offers specialized therapists who help children adjust to being in the hospital and their medical conditions, Persinger said.

Universal Health-owned Desert Springs, Catholic Healthcare West-owned St. Rose Dominican Hospitals -- Rose de Lima Campus and HCA-owned MountainView Hospital do not offer pediatric or neonatal services.

With additional pediatric services that are advantages and disadvantages, health officials say.

Additional pediatricians and pediatric specialists are needed to care for the patients, but the patient load should shift as more pediatric specialists relocated to care for patients with complicated conditions, which should give general pediatricians more time, Albeitz said.

Also, even though there are a variety of pediatric services available, it is important for parents to find a pediatrician or family practice doctor for regular check ups or children's care can be very fragmented with so many medical options, she said.