Population growth puts pressure on skilled nursing homes in valley

Michelle Swafford

Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004 | 10:39 a.m.

A new skilled nursing home in the Summerlin master-planned community will provide seniors with additional options, which industry experts say are needed to keep pace with the increase in population in the Las Vegas Valley.

The Heights of Summerlin will soon be accepting residents to fill its 190 beds and already has a list of people who want to live in the skilled nursing home. The facility is waiting for its operating license from the Nevada State Board of Licensure and Certification.

Senior housing experts say skilled nursing homes are considered to be in short supply, while there are an abundance of assisted-living centers in the Las Vegas Valley.

"Initially the (Las Vegas Valley) area was overbuilt, and now the population has caught up with it," said Tom Hedgecock, senior associate with Marcus & Millichap and the broker on the Heights of Summerlin deal. "We're much more in line than we were five years ago. That is a result of the senior population increase in the valley."

Developers will carefully evaluate future senior housing projects to avoid flooding the area with skilled nursing homes, he said.

Charles Perry, executive director of the Nevada Health Care Association, said there is no shortage of skilled nursing beds, but there is not a glut either. His association represents skilled nursing homes in Nevada.

"We probably don't have as many beds per population as they have in some other states, but we have excess capacity right now due to the fact that a lot of beds that are out there empty because we don't have the personnel to staff those beds," Perry said.

The addition of The Heights of Summerlin to Southern Nevada's 23 other skilled nursing centers shouldn't hurt the senior living market, Perry said.

The state Bureau of Licensure reports there are 194 assisted-living facilities in Clark County, plus another 64 homes that specialize in Alzheimer's care.

The Heights of Summerlin was originally planned as an assisted-living center called Brighton Gardens. The project underwent several challenges including multiple owners and a foreclosure that left the place unfinished, Hedgecock said.

Bernard Rosenson purchased the property for $15.3 million, changed the name and spent millions to convert it to a skilled nursing home because the "assisted living market is saturated, (but) there appears to be a shortage of skilled nursing," he said.

Rosenson also owns Spencer Retirement Villa in Las Vegas, which offers affordable apartments with dining, social and support services.

"All the hotels coming in and the nonstop building brings people in," Rosenson said. "The other support structures are required as well. As people move in they may be older or they may have a relative who is older."

California-based Skilled Healthcare LLC is managing the property for Rosenson so he can focus on opening additional senior-living options in the Las Vegas Valley. This is the first property in Las Vegas that Skilled Healthcare has operated, but there are plans to manage additional facilities, said Carolyn Schmidt, director of admissions and marketing for The Heights of Summerlin.

The Heights of Summerlin offers several amenities that could be more common in new skilled nursing facilities, especially as the market becomes more competitive, industry experts said.

"When you go in you'll feel like you're in a nice hotel and that was the goal," Rosenson said.

For example, nearly half of the rooms are private and every room has its own bathroom and shower, telephone and television with cable, he said.

Also, there are fireplaces in the common areas and a beauty salon for residents, Rosenson said.

Hotel-like amenities are a marketing strategy that helps skilled nursing operators attract private-pay residents, Perry said. The majority of skilled-nursing residents pay through Medicaid or Medicare, he said.