County to make deal on new trauma centers

Dan Kulin

Friday, June 25, 2004 | 9:37 a.m.

The Clark County Health District board on Thursday decided to follow one of the recommendations from a citizens task force and will seek an agreement with the state to give the county power over trauma care issues here.

The board voted 9-0 to approve a motion that will have the county health officer "pursue an interlocal agreement with the state for appropriate delegation of authority to plan, develop and implement a comprehensive trauma system in Southern Nevada."

Health board member Joe Hardy, a Republican assemblyman from Boulder City, abstained from the vote because Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center is part owner of the company he works for. Sunrise's request for permission to open a trauma center is what prompted the board to take an in-depth look at trauma center issues.

Board members Stephanie Smith, a North Las Vegas City Councilwoman, Clark County Commissioner Rory Reid and Mary Jo Mattocks, a Mesquite representative to the board, did not attend the Thursday meeting.

The creation of a trauma system would include establishing a committee to oversee and coordinate trauma care in the county. Such a committee could also be called on to decide or advise county officials on whether to allow hospitals to open trauma centers, a decision that now rests with the state.

Sunrise is asking to become a Level II trauma center, and St. Rose Dominican Hospital is offering to open a Level III trauma center at its Siena campus in Henderson.

The only trauma center in the county now is University Medical Center's Level I trauma center. Level I and Level II centers both have trauma doctors and other trauma staff at the hospital at all times, with a primary distinction between the two being that Level I centers also do teaching and research.

At a Level III trauma center, the doctors are on call.

UMC officials have opposed Sunrise's request, saying a trauma center there would take too many patients from UMC, and hurt the county-run hospital financially. But they support St. Rose's offer, saying that a low-level trauma center is needed in the southern part of the Las Vegas Valley.

Sunrise officials argue the number of trauma patients will increase enough in the coming years to keep both UMC and Sunrise busy.

A board-appointed task force that looked at the issue ended its work Tuesday saying the county needs to develop a trauma system.