Las Vegas Becoming a Specialized Healthcare Hub

Access to specialized healthcare options plays a crucial role in enhancing a region’s quality of life and promotes overall well-being. These facilities also attract top medical talent and investment, serve as magnets for medical tourism, and spur economic development. 

Las Vegas’ healthcare sector has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade, with specialized research and treatment centers choosing to call the city home, with new integrated healthcare developments on the horizon.

Learn more about how the following specialized medical facilities are transforming the region’s medical landscape.

Specialized Healthcare Amenities in Las Vegas

 Visitors to downtown Las Vegas can’t help but notice the iconic Frank Gehry-designed building that houses the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The facility is much more than just an interesting addition to downtown Las Vegas’ skyline – the center is one of the leading clinic trial sites for Alzheimer’s disease in the country. The research center and clinic, which opened in 2010, specializes in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s. The clinic not only researches more effective treatments for memory loss and dementia, but also provides support services for those dealing with brain disease and their caregivers. In 2022, the research center received a $11.3 million grant alongside UNLV to conduct joint research into the causes of degenerative brain diseases. And in 2023, staff at the facility administered first doses of the drug lecanemab, a new treatment for early Alzheimer’s disease.

The Cleveland Clinic is one of several anchor facilities within the Las Vegas Medical District, established by the City of Las Vegas in 1997 as a medical epicenter to enhance access to healthcare in the city. Since then, $400 million in private and public investment has gone into the district, with more planned. Additional anchor facilities in the district include University Medical Center (UMC), Valley Hospital, the Southern Nevada Health District and its public health lab, the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV, and the UNLV School of Dental Medicine. Redevelopment efforts are focused on expanding ancillary services that support the medical industry, including retail and housing. Upcoming projects include the rehabilitation of nine buildings on UMC’s campus, expansion of the women’s cancer center, and a 54-bed memory care senior housing community.

The Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada is an award-winning multi-specialty practice that participates in more than 170 clinical research trials each year and has helped develop more than 100 FDA-approved life-saving cancer therapies. An affiliate of the US Oncology Network, the center has been treating patients with cancer in the Las Vegas community for more than 40 years. The practice specializes in medical oncology, hematology, radiation oncology, breast surgery, pulmonary medicine, cancer genetic counseling and clinical research. The Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada is the only oncology practice in Southern Nevada to receive the American College of Radiology accreditation for seven consecutive three-year terms and is also affiliated with the Community Clinical Oncology Program, which conducts National Cancer Institute-supported clinical trials and introduces the newest clinical research findings to the local medical community.

The Valley Health Specialty Hospital is the first facility in Las Vegas to offer both orthopedic surgery and inpatient rehabilitation services in one location. Opened in 2021 as an extension of Spring Valley Hospital, the facility features five surgical suites, a 10-bed inpatient nursing unit, and a 56-bed acute rehabilitation center. The specialty hospital offers spine surgery, hip and knee replacement, arthroscopic surgery of the shoulder, elbow, knee and ankle, and hand surgery. The facility’s extensive inpatient rehabilitation program includes physical, occupational, and speech therapy with specialized programs in neurological, spinal, and orthopedic therapy. Outpatient rehabilitation is also available for patients needing ongoing treatment. 

With the dramatic growth of professional sports in the Las Vegas region, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) saw a need to incorporate sports medicine into its curriculum, formally launching the UNLV Sports Innovation Institute (SII) in December 2023. The institute aspires to be a nationally recognized hub that integrates sports science and sports business to provide cutting-edge solutions to drive the future of sport. The institute is devoted to sports research, performance, health, and technology and innovation. SII connects UNLV students from a variety of sport-related academic disciplines with career and internship opportunities and serves as the conduit for partnership between the sports industry and the university. 

Several medical projects in the planning or development stages will bring even more healthcare opportunities to the region. Union Village, an ‘integrated healthcare village’ in Henderson, will include a dialysis clinic, a memory and dementia care village, a hotel, condos, apartments, retail, and restaurants. The 155-acre village is anchored by Henderson Hospital, which opened in 2016. The city of North Las Vegas is also planning a medical campus on 135 acres near the region’s VA Hospital that could include medical services and research and development spaces.

As the region’s healthcare opportunities continue to expand, so does the need to educate and train the medical professionals needed to staff these specialized facilities. Several regional medical schools fill this need: the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV,  Touro University Nevada, and Rosemary University of Health Sciences. Learn more about the specialized training each of these institutions provides the region’s medical professionals.