Current Trauma Status Report - Southern Nevada Health District

• This region would not pass a tax to support the trauma system.
• The City of Henderson voted twice against a police/fire initiative.
• People aren't aware of what a trauma center can do for you, a tax will never pass.
• Q. Can trauma centers be a public or private facility A. Yes.
• Q. How are trauma center's normally funded A. Primarily from taxes/fees and insurance
reimbursement.
• Q. How much is trauma going to cost A. That depends on many factors.
Patient Care/Access:
• Trauma centers provide a higher level of care to the public.
• There needs to be access for everyone in the community.
• Patient care is also a key component, not just how long it takes us to unload a patient.
Data Analysis:
• We need to anal yze the data to determine where we need a trauma center(s).
• When UMC closed, it showed us that we need more trauma centers. There should be 2.2 trauma
centers per 1,000, 000 people.
• Need to look at capacity and volume criteria in determining the number of trauma centers.
• We need to review data. The argument for more trauma centers is like building fire stations. One
on every corner is good, but is it feasible
• UMC does an excellent job. We need to expand our infrastructure. UMC and Sunrise are the only 2
hospitals who could be a level I and II.
• In order to determine where the trauma centers will go, it must be data driven.
• We also need to consider traffic patterns.
• We need to consider the huge number of visitors to Las Vegas each year. Other models won't work
here because of that.
• We need to determine where trauma patients coming from.
• Hospitals in the region have continued to expand and grow. We need to look at the data, especially
by geography.
Clinical Staffing:
• Physician call specialists are an issue.
• One issue is physician specialist coverage and finding the staff to work at a trauma center.
Governance:
• I think the Clark County Health District should govern the trauma system. The State is up north
and is not responsive to our needs.
• Q. Does the federal government provide any oversight for a trauma system A. No.
Other:
• Q. When will this study be finished A. A draft report will be available in April 2004 with final
recommendations to the State in June.
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