Construction on a new dispatch center and office complex for Community Ambulance is officially underway as local elected officials and company leaders met Monday to hold a ceremonial groundbreaking at the future site.
The planned two-story, 43,000-square-foot campus is virtually double the size of Community Ambulance’s current headquarters near Interstate 215 and Gibson Road, CEO Rob Richardson said. The site, near the intersection of Via Nobila and Via Centro southwest of the Henderson Executive Airport, is on a 2.6 acre parcel the city sold for $930,000, according to a sale agreement and resolution approved by Henderson City Council last January.
Richardson said at Monday’s event that if construction goes according to schedule, Community Ambulance could begin moving into the new building by April. The new campus is intended to expand the company’s response capabilities and train new workers.
“With this building, we’ll be able to serve this community for decades to come,” Richardson said.
Once completed, the new Community Ambulance headquarters will feature 80 rooms, including 25,000 square-feet for office and classroom space and a 17,200-square-foot ambulance bay with four service lifts, allowing for on-site maintenance, according to a release.
Richardson said the completed campus will also feature above-ground fuel storage spaces, and space for 911 and non-emergency dispatching.
“It’s an all-inclusive, comprehensive campus,” Richardson said. “So with this building now, we can always scale it to be a lot larger a company, if need be.”
Henderson Mayor Michelle Romero told attendees at the groundbreaking the planned campus is a welcome addition, particularly because the population in Nevada’s second-largest city continues to grow. The development, she said, will create jobs and continue providing vital medical transport logistics for Henderson residents and others living in Southern Nevada.
”We value strong partnerships with all organizations that contribute to health, safety and the welfare of our region, and we are pleased to see Community Ambulance expanding their presence here in our city,” Romero said. “Something new is happening, and it’s exciting.”
In 2016, Community Ambulance entered into a 10-year agreement with Henderson in which the company pays the city an annual $100,000 franchise fee. Henderson Fire Department Chief Scott Vivier said as part of that agreement, the ambulance company must also hit performance benchmarks that he said ensure residents receive effective service.
Vivier added the city’s emergency medical transport services dispatches most of the 911 medical calls they receive but added that Community Ambulance can handle anything the city is unable to respond to. In a typical month, he said, Community Ambulance receives about 1,000 calls for service.
About 90 percent of calls taken by Community Ambulance are for either non-emergency calls or for transporting patients from one healthcare facility to another, Vivier said. He added the support provided by Community Ambulance allows the fire department to focus on emergency response.
“We have a really good working partnership,” Vivier said.
Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X.
