BRUSH FIRE ALERT 06/16/2016

Do You Want More Trauma Centers Closer to Home...or Let the Government Decide? (Chuck Muth) - Let’s say you’re seriously injured in a car wreck in Sun City Summerlin. Do you think your chances of survival would higher if they take you to a nearby trauma center in northwest Las Vegas - or if they take you all the way down to UMC in downtown Las Vegas or St. Rose in Henderson? Duh. Unbelievably, the Southern Nevada Board of Health is meeting on June 23 to vote on whether or not to allow three privately owned and operated hospitals here in Las Vegas (MountainView, Southern Hills, and Centennial Hills) to open trauma centers.  Which, of course, begs the question: Why do three privately owned hospitals need to ask permission from government to increase the level of service they offer in the first place?  The answer is: Because that’s what “crony government” does.  It picks winners and losers instead of letting private businesses compete freely! Las Vegas currently has only three trauma centers, all located in the southeast part of the valley.  There is a Level 1 center at the government owned and operated University Medical Center (UMC), a Level 2 center at Sunrise Hospital, and a Level 3 center at the St. Rose Dominican Hospital – Siena Campus.   None of these hospitals are located in the Northwest or Southwest parts of the valley.  The hospitals requesting approval are located in the Northwest and Southwest parts of the valley and would cut down on travel time for people in these areas in need of these vital trauma services. The unelected members of the Regional Trauma Advisory Board (RTAB) recommended against adding the three new trauma centers even though we have not added a new trauma center in 12 years.  During that time our population has grown by 30 percent!   So why would these people vote against allowing more trauma centers in Las Vegas?  Why would they not want better access to these critical services for all residents of the valley? Well, because most of the unelected members of the RTAB work for the hospitals that currently have trauma centers and voted against allowing other hospitals to compete against them! Their employers don’t face any competition for these vital services and they want to keep it that way. If you find this as outrageous as I do, here is what you can do about it… Brushfire Alert! The RTAB does not have the final say in this matter.  The Southern Nevada Board of Health (SNBH) will meet on Thursday, June 23 at 8:30 a.m. to make a final decision on this.  The meetings of the SNBH are open to the public, so we encourage you to attend this meeting on June 23 to express your support for expanding the number of trauma centers we have in our area. The membership of the SNBH is made up mostly of elected officials who should care more about the health of the citizens of our area than businesses trying to restrict competition.  If you can’t attend the meeting on June 23, give the members a call or e-mail them your concerns.  The elected officials on the Southern Nevada Board of Health are: Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers – Chairman (702) 229-6405 Email Boulder City Mayor Rod Woodbury – Co-Chairman (702) 293-9208 Email Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lois Tarkanian – Secretary (702) 229-6405 Email Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick (702) 455-3500 Email: ccdistb@ClarkCountyNV.gov Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani (702) 455-3500 Email: ccdiste@ClarkCountyNV.gov North Las Vegas City Councilman Richard Cherchio (702) 633-1194 Email Henderson City Councilman John Marz (702) 267-2405 Email Mesquite City Councilwoman Cynthia Delaney (702) 346-5295 E-mail:  cdelaney@mesquitenv.gov Minutes matter when dealing with the serious injuries that require trauma care.  Having more trauma centers in our area will not only better serve all of us, but save lives.  Isn’t that more important than protecting companies by banning competition? Let your voice be heard! Brushfire Alerts are a project of Citizen Outreach, a non-partisan IRS-approved 501(c)(4) grassroots advocacy organization.  Help us continue to help you take action.  Please donate $5 today.