LAS VEGAS—Ten Nevada hospitals this week received $11.3 million in grants from the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s Rural Healthcare Program. The award was announced Tuesday in a joint event at Dignity Health St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson and Renown Health in Reno.
Nevada is the eighth state to receive funding from the trust’s Rural Healthcare Program. In a statement announcing the grants, Trust officials said the award decision was influenced by a recent survey of Nevada’s Critical Access Hospitals which identified a need for new equipment that is often standard in urban facilities.
“We are excited the Trust has chosen to invest in Nevada,” said Gov. Steve Sisolak who attended the announcement in Las Vegas. “The grants will help level the playing field for Nevada hospitals by giving rural patients access within their own communities to the same state-of-the-art equipment found in urban centers. As Governor, I am focused on improving access for all Nevadans and this will go a long way for all those who call Nevada home.”
Trust officials said the new equipment, which includes imaging technology such as 3D mammography machines and CT scanners, “produce higher quality images, allowing medical staff to better assess health status and determine the proper course of treatment. The grants also support the hospitals’ sustainability, as newer equipment drives higher usage and supports higher reimbursement rates.”
The grants include:
- $736,000 to Boulder City Hospital for 3D mammography and mobile C-arm fluoroscopic x-ray equipment
- $667,000 to Grover C. Dils Medical Center in Caliente for a fixed x-ray device and a CT scanner
- $402,000 to Pershing General Hospital in Lovelock to purchase a CT scanner
- $959,000 to William Bee Ririe Hospital in Ely for a CT scanner and fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy
- $1.8 million to Incline Village Community Hospital for a CT scanner, fixed x-ray device and related costs
- $3.6 million to Carson Valley Medical Center in Gardnerville to build and equip a hybrid cardiac cath lab/interventional radiology lab and purchase a new fixed x-ray device
- $518,000 to South Lyon Medical Center in Yerington for a CT scanner and a fixed x-ray device
- $462,000 to Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson for a state-of-the-art medical simulation center, featuring six high-fidelity patient simulators, beds and equipment
- $2.2 million to the Nevada Community Foundation to fund a fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy for Desert View Hospital in Pahrump and 3D mammography equipment, a CT scanner, a fixed x-ray device and a portable x-ray machine for Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite
Walter Panzirer, who is a trustee, grandson of Leona and Walter Helmsley and a Las Vegas resident, was key in the grant decision. He has for years lived in rural communities and become a staunch advocate for telehealth and improved rural healthcare.
“Your zip code shouldn’t determine your healthcare outcomes,” Panzirer said. “These grants will help level the playing field for Nevada’s rural hospitals by giving patients access to the same state-of-the-art equipment found in urban centers.”
