The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust last week announced the addition of Nevada as the eighth state in its Rural Healthcare Program.
The news, unveiled in separate press conferences on Nov. 2 at Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospital in Henderson and Renown Health in Reno, included the announcement of more than $11.3 million in grants to help 10 Silver State hospitals purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic and radiology equipment and expand simulation-based training.
According to a Nov. 2 press release, the funding marks the latest investment from the Helmsley Charitable Trust into America’s rural healthcare systems.
Over the past decade, the trust has doled out more than $500 million “to efforts that use information technologies to connect rural patients to emergency medical care, bring the latest medical therapies to patients in remote areas and provide state-of-the-art training for rural hospitals and EMS personnel,” per the release.
States include North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Minnesota, Iowa, Montana and, now, Nevada.
“We are excited the Trust has chosen to invest in Nevada,” Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak said in a statement. “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.”
Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust, said a detailed analysis of states’ rural healthcare needs identified Nevada as a great fit for Helmsley’s Rural Healthcare Program; the funding, along with future investments, hold the potential “to revolutionize how healthcare is delivered across Nevada’s rural and urban hospitals,” according to the press release.
“Your zip code shouldn’t determine your healthcare outcomes,” Panzirer said in a statement. “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.”
Per the release, the $11.3 million in funding stems from a recent survey of Nevada’s Critical Access Hospitals, which identified x-ray equipment, ultrasound machines, CT scanners and simulation-based learning as top needs to provide patients with access to up-to-date healthcare technology.
The grants announced Nov. 2 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.
Per the release, the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust began active grantmaking in 2008 and has since committed more than $3 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes.
Governor Steve Sisolak; Mesa View Regional Hospital CEO Kelly Adams; Walter Panzirer, a trustee for the Helmsley Charitable Trust; and Tom Maher, Boulder City Hospital CEO
