What’s going on with the Pahrump surgical center project?

In the town of Pahrump, one of the things in which community members find common ground is their desire to see more health care services available locally, particularly when it comes to specialty care. Having to travel an hour or more into Las Vegas to see a specialist has been a longstanding complaint among residents and when that visit involves a surgical procedure, the necessity can be even more frustrating.

Before the end of the year, though, a new medical facility is set to open that will eliminate this need for hundreds or potentially even thousands of area residents.

The Pahrump Community Health Center is located at 136 S. Lola Lane, next to the Pahrump VA Clinic and not far from Desert View Hospital. The facility’s primary function will be surgery but as details on the project note, it will serve as a venue for health and wellness activities as well.

“We’re targeting to open our doors with a ‘soft’ opening in September or October,” Community Health Development Partners CEO Mike Clark told the Pahrump Valley Times this week, adding, “It’s a long process to get it licensed and credentialed. Once we open and perform a few surgeries, then we have to apply for our Medicare license and that’s about a three-to-four-month process. So, we won’t be at full capacity until we’ve completed that licensing.”

When it comes to what full capacity entails, Clark said the center has the ability to handle thousands of patients per year.

“With surgeries, we’ll have about 4,500. In the cath lab, it’ll be between 800 and 1,200 procedures and then with the procedure rooms, which is mostly colonoscopies, we’ll do 2,000 to 3,000. That’s our capacity, so a fair amount. But obviously, a lot of that will be dependent on having the physicians to do all of that,” Clark explained.

Community Health Development Partners (CHDP) first broke ground on the Pahrump Community Health Center in the summer of 2022 with an anticipated completion date in 2023. However, the opening date was pushed back, a decision driven by several circumstances.

“Construction delays,” Clark said, citing a tale as old as time. “And there were some equipment delays associated with that.”

On top of this, CHDP was working on two other major health facility projects, one in Elko and another in Lake Havasu, Arizona. “It’s hard for us to open multiple locations all at the same time, because we’re a small company, so we’re pacing ourselves,” he remarked.

The Elko location is up and running and the Lake Havasu facility has just opened its doors as well, clearing the way for CHDP to focus on wrapping up the Pahrump project.

“Pahrump Community Health Center is a 23,000 square-foot medical facility designed to provide a wealth of services tailored to the community’s needs. A 17,200 square-foot surgery center will include four operating rooms, two procedure rooms, a catheterization lab and 16 pre- and post-recovery beds,” information on the facility states. “A dedicated community space will host on-site health and wellness programming coordinated by CHDP’s partner nonprofit, Community Health Development Foundation. This space will serve as a hub for the Pahrump community, offering screenings for diseases, wellness classes, health care education and meeting space for an advisory board that is comprised of local patients.”

The investment in the Pahrump project has been substantial, Clark detailed, reporting construction costs at around $17 million, with an additional $4-$6 million spent in acquiring the necessary medical equipment.

As of Thursday, March 27, there were six job opportunities posted for the Pahrump Community Health Center. These include a certified surgical technologist, sterile processing technician, facilities manager, circulator – RN, peri-operative services RN and director of nursing.

For more information or to apply for a position visit CommunityHDP.com

Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com