Today, we launch the new LVMD-Rx newsletter and invite you to keep in touch for regular updates. We will keep you apprised on medical breakthroughs, partnerships and collaborations, the masterplan and general progress of the area as we become the premier academic medical center for this community.

LVMD is located in the Las Vegas’ downtown core and has strong, long-standing medical institutions currently operating within the district. The anchor partners include – Valley Hospital, University Medical Center (UMC), Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) School of Dental Medicine, Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas, Desert Radiology, Steinberg Diagnostics and a host of other medical businesses and professionals. The purpose of the Las Vegas Medical District is to realize an academic medical center of excellence that increases the quality of health care for all Southern Nevada residents.  In furtherance of this vision, the City of Las Vegas will support future and continued development of the area that is synergistic with the current medical providers and building on the sense of community.

The city of Las Vegas established the LVMD Advisory Council, composing of about 30 key stakeholders in the district, to collaborate on the details of designing, planning and marketing. The Advisory Council meets monthly and discusses all the various aspects necessary to build and support a world-class medical district.

In December 2015, the City Council unanimously adopted the Las Vegas Medical District Master Plan. The master plan includes approved recommendations that encompasses improved streetscapes and neighborhood and district amenities. In addition, there are planned high-density medical offices to complement the already established University Medical Center, Valley Hospital, UNLV School of Dental Medicine, and the Clinical Simulation Center of Las Vegas to name a few.  The approval of the master plan provides for an expansion of the medical district from 214 acres to 684 acres.  The master plan allows substantial space for the placement of UNLV school of medicine. The school location is currently under consideration by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents.

Photo: Screenshot of the new Las Vegas Medical District website’ home page

Visit us at lasvegasmedicaldistrict.com for additional information.

 

 

UMC is the first hospital in Nevada to receive the most advanced level of Chest Pain Center Accreditation from the Society of Cardiovascular Patient Care. This accreditation as a Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation recognizes UMC’s high level of expertise in quickly assessing, diagnosing and treating patients who exhibit symptoms of a heart attack.

As an Accredited Chest Pain Center, UMC’s protocol-driven approach promotes more immediate treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. The accreditation also highlights UMC’s development of a multidisciplinary resuscitation committee and the hospital’s commitment to the continued refinement of processes and procedures, in addition to many other areas of expertise.

“UMC offers the highest level of cardiac care in Nevada, and we take pride in our team’s ability to achieve impressive outcomes that serve to improve our patients’ quality of life,” said UMC CEO Mason VanHouweling. “From UMC’s Emergency Department to the dedicated Cardiology and Stroke Center, our team is truly committed to providing patients with access to the high-quality care they deserve.”

UMC’s Cardiology and Stroke Center provides a wide range of services from diagnosis to rehabilitation. The hospital features a dedicated Chest Pain Center, Heart Failure Clinic and cardiac catheterization suites, in addition to open-heart surgery, a cardiac rehabilitation program and a variety of other patient-focused services supported by advanced technology. Through medical school partnerships, UMC is the only hospital in the state to offer a cardiology fellowship program.

UMC also serves as a leader in the implementation of radial artery catheterization, which involves inserting a catheter through the radial artery in the wrist or arm, rather than the femoral artery. In an effort to significantly reduce the risk of major bleeding and improve patient comfort, UMC now utilizes this procedure in more than 70 percent of cardiac catheterizations.

As a result of the hospital’s experienced team and its steadfast dedication to quality and patient safety, UMC offers one of the most highly awarded cardiology and stroke programs in Nevada.

Photo: Registered Nurse Marcia Gomez (left) and Certified Nursing Assistant Amanda McAuliff care for a patient at the UMC Cardiology and Stroke Center by Danny Romero, UMC Brand Coordinator.

For more information about the UMC Cardiology and Stroke Center.

 

Thanks again!

Desert Radiology, Southern Nevada’s leading diagnostic practice, is celebrating 50 years of providing the community with the highest quality care. Founded by three radiologists in 1966, Desert Radiology is proud to have grown to 70 board certified, USA trained physicians, over 300 staff members and six state of the art outpatient facilities where they provide care to thousands of patients each year. They are the exclusive radiology partner with a local multidisciplinary oncology group, The Culinary Health Fund, The Valley Health System hospital network, UMC, Boulder City Hospital, and Mountain’s Edge Hospital. Desert Radiology also provides diagnostic support to several multi-specialty medical centers throughout Nevada.

The team at Desert Radiology is committed to providing their patients with compassionate care using the most advanced radiology procedures and diagnostic imaging available. Notably, they offer Genius 3D Mammography™ which detects 41 percent more invasive breast cancers and reduces false positives by up to 40 percent. In addition to the 3D and traditional mammograms, Desert Radiology performs DEXA Bone Density scans, CT and Ultrasound guided biopsy, 3T MRI, PET scans, Ultrasound and X-Ray imaging among other services on the most up-to-date equipment on the market. For patient convenience, X-Rays are performed on a walk-in basis at most of our facilities and do not require an appointment.

Desert Radiology also offers an array of interventional and vascular services at their dedicated interventional clinic, Desert Vascular Institute. Their interventional radiologists specialize in minimally invasive image-guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for cardiovascular conditions as well as a broad range of services for patients with cancer, pain, diabetes, liver, kidney and other conditions.

Desert Radiology is delighted to celebrate their 50^th anniversary this year by continuing to provide the most advanced radiological care to Southern Nevada.

Photo: Courtesy of Desert Radiology

For more information on the services offered at Desert Radiology, please contact the patient care center at 702-759-8600 or visit them on the web at https://desertrad.com/.

Serving physicians from each facility in the Las Vegas Medical District, Clark County Medical Society hosts a variety of programs for medical professionals in continuing education. In 2016, the Society kicked off a series of six CME programs, the first of which included two very popular sessions on Pain Medication Misuse/Abuse & Related Ethical Issues, followed by Suicide Prevention & Ethics of Assisted Suicide.

The next topic to be covered in the series is medical marijuana which takes place on April 16, from 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The Medical Marijuana Symposium is designed for medical professionals to increase their knowledge on medical uses of marijuana in the treatment of patients. It will also include developing an understanding of how the product is tested and dispensed, focusing on current legal and regulation issues. Advance registration is highly recommended.

“We are here to support our local medical community, and provide them with opportunities to keep current on the advances in medicine as well as elevate their voices. Our CME programs are just one way we highlight medical issues impacting the community and connect physicians with resources,” Loretta Moses, Executive Director of the Clark County Medical Society and member of LVMD Advisory Council,  Planning and Marketing Sub-Committees.

The Medical Marijuana Symposium includes a panel discussion in addition to speakers from a variety of backgrounds including Garam Lee, PharmD from Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health who will be speaking on Neurological Diseases and Cannabinoids, and Brian Lawenda, MD from 21^st Century Oncology providing a Medical Cannabinoids 101 overview. They will also be joined by County Commissioner, Chris Giunchigliani and District Attorney, Steven B. Wolfson as well as a number of other experts. To register for the Medical Marijuana Symposium, visit ClarkCountyMedical.org.

Coming up in May, the next scheduled CME topic is Robotics. The final two installments in the six-part 2016 CME series will be announced later this year.

Established in 1955, the Clark County Medical Society is a professional organization of more than 1,500 physicians, medical students, residents and physician assistants.  The organization advocates for physicians and their patients in Southern Nevada, the delivery of quality health care within the community.

Photo: Clark County Medical Society team hosting their CME on Suicide Prevention & Ethics of Assisted Suicide. Pictured (left to right) Amy Jo Austin, Communications Coordinator; Janice Poblete, Executive Assistant; Loretta Moses, Executive Director; Justin Bauzon, volunteer; Shirley Gallegos, Receptionist.

For more information, visit http://www.clarkcountymedical.org or call 702-739-9989.

As a medical student at Touro University, Brent Bluett, DO, was intrigued by the opportunity Las Vegas presented graduating physicians. With too many people waiting too long to be seen by too few physicians, he thought he could help by joining a local practice following his graduation in 2010.

First, however, Dr. Bluett needed to complete his graduate medical education (GME). Since Nevada didn’t offer the neurology residency he sought or any movement disorders fellowships, he was forced to leave the state he had come to love for specialty training at UT Southwestern Austin and UC San Diego, respectively. While roughly 70 percent of trainees practice in the state in which they complete their GME, Dr. Bluett bucked this trend and returned to Las Vegas in 2015, to join Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health where he treats patients with dystonia, ataxia, Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. One of his specialized treatments is botulinum toxin (“Botox®”) injections, which relax muscles temporarily, allowing patient to regain function and find relief from pain caused by muscle spasticity.

As he reacclimatizes to the Las Vegas medical community, Dr. Bluett enjoys reconnecting with fellow Touro alumni and mentors who practice here and providing second opinions to each other’s’ patients.

Just as DO school was a good match for Dr. Bluett because it integrates the whole person spanning emotional and physical health, he says Las Vegas and the relationship-based opportunities the tight-knit community presents is “a good fit because I see patients as people first. I come to love my patients as if they are part of my family.”

Dr. Bluett says this rings true even more so in neurodegenerative disorders, where “you have to separate patients from their disorder and make them feel like they’re a person again.”

Photo: Courtesy of Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health – Dr. Bluett with patient

For more information: Dr. Bluett’s Cleveland Clinic profile.