Two architectural firms have been chosen for Nevada’s first stand-alone children’s hospital.
Shepley Bulfinch and Gensler will be the two architects on the pediatric facility operated by Intermountain Healthcare. This is the first major step for the project since announcing the location at UNLV’s Harry Reid Research and Technology Park in October.
“The selection of these two firms is a celebration as Intermountain conducted an extensive analysis to bring a state-of-the-art comprehensive children’s hospital here to Nevada,” said Lawrence Barnard, Intermountain Health AVP of Pediatrics in Nevada. “Shepley Bulfinch and Gensler both have very impressive backgrounds in designing healthcare facilities around the globe. Our goal of bringing essential specialty care to children, keeping families in state for care, is taking shape for our community.”
Shepley Bulfinch has designed multiple pediatric projects, including Boston Children’s Hospital Hale Family Building, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Scripps Networks Tower and Children’s Hospital of Michigan Critical Care Tower.
Gensler, which has offices in Las Vegas and globally, is the firm behind projects such as UnCommons and Atari Hotels, alongside multiple healthcare facilities, like Johns Hopkins Medicine International, UCLA Health Malibu and Tulsa Cancer Institute.
“This hospital will greatly reduce strain on families already burdened by emotionally and physically challenging health conditions,” added Barnard. “Nevada’s children deserve to receive comprehensive care close to home.”
Intermountain Health operates two children’s hospitals in Utah – Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Salt Lake and Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital Lehi.
Currently, the hospital’s design, clinical activities and workforce planning, which includes recruitment, are underway. In rough numbers, the hospital will be 710,000 square feet, 150 to 250 beds and with room for growth, said Mitchell Cloward, president of Intermountain Health’s Desert Region to the Review-Journal in October.
In September, The Lincy Institute, a public policy think tank at UNLV, published a study highlighting the need for a stand-alone children’s hospital in Southern Nevada.
Nevada has 267 pediatricians to serve 640,000 children under the age of 18 and has only 59.5 available pediatricians for every 100,000 children. Nevada ranks among the lowest in clinical care, access to care, quality of care and preventive clinical services, as per the 2022 American Health Rankings Health of Women and Children Report.
Contact Emerson Drewes at edrewes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @EmersonDrewes on X.
