Strong Medicine

Las Vegas Hospital Undergoes $56 Million Upgrade

by Tony Illia

University Medical Center started as a 20-bed indigent hospital on July 15, 1931 when Las Vegas was home to about 7,000 residents, which is less than one percent of its current population.

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The current round of improvements will help UMC meet the fast-growing healthcare demands of the Las Vegas Valley for the next 75 years.

"From its humble beginnings on a dirt road west of the railroad tracks, UMC has grown to a 588-bed medical facility, including 34 beds for rehabilitation, and will continue to expand to better serve the needs of the community," said UMC Chief Executive Officer Lacy Thomas in a statement. "In late 2006, the hospital grounds will undergo another transformation with the completion of a new five-story tower adding an additional 175,000 square feet."

The new steel-framed tower, designed by Dekker/Perich/Sabatini, Ltd., Henderson, will be comprised of clad concrete masonry block and stucco. The ground-level will contain admitting and medical records, a kitchen and cafeteria, and a gift shop and pharmacy. It will be followed by a new integrated burn care, plastic surgery and wound care unit with a dedicated state-of-the-art laboratory. The third floor will contain 35 intensive care beds, followed by a combined 56 surgical care beds on the fourth and fifth floors. Another nine beds are being added through remodeling, bringing the project's total to 100 new beds.

Meanwhile, the single-level, 11,000-sq.-ft. south wing revamp will create cafeteria and engineering areas as well as space for other back-house services. But the project's most noticeable feature is a 3,858-sq.-ft. main lobby with a landscaped circular plaza entrance. It's something that UMC noticeably lacked. The feature, as a result, creates a new focal point for the medical facility.

"One of the biggest criticisms of [UMC] had been the lack of entry identity and a sense of welcoming," said Ron Vollmond, Clark & Sullivan's project development director. "The new additions create a cohesive appearance and style, a quality that had been missing from the numerous additions and renovations over the past 45 years."

But construction has entailed some challenges including demolition of the existing structures while building anew without disrupting the center's daily operations. Clark & Sullivan, for example, must tie-in hydronic piping, electrical and mechanical systems from UMC's existing facilities during normal hospital hours.

"We have to demolish old parts of the building and rebuild on the same footprint," said Dekker/Perich/Sabatini project manager Chuck Dodgen. "So it's a strategic and complicated undertaking with four phases of construction."

The project is expected to see up to 140 tradesmen onsite during the height of construction activity. Work on the northeast tower and south wing remodel began in late 2004, and is scheduled to be completed in November. The upgrades are expected to reduce wait times for incoming trauma patients seeking treatment.

Key Players
Owner: University Medical Center
Architect: Dekker/ Perich/ Sabatini
General Contractor: Clark & Sullivan Constructors
Structural Engineer: Brizendine Engineering
Electrical: Helix Electric
Mechanical: Pahor Mechanical
Steel: Vegas Steel
Concrete: Sahara Concrete

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