UMC to operate medical clinic inside McCarran airport

A new medical clinic inside McCarran International Airport is slated to begin seeing patients this summer.

The medical facility will be operated by University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, whose lease of the space located in Terminal 1, pre-security, next to the A/B security checkpoint, was approved by the Clark County Board of Commissioners Tuesday.

UMC will pay $3,108 per month to lease the 1,440 square-foot space for a 5-year term, with an additional 5-year contract extension option.

Services planned to be offered at the clinic are primary urgent care, medical screening exams, rapid COVID-19 testing, employment and other physicals. The COVID testing will be only for those showing symptoms.

“Offering a wide range of essential health care services in the heart of McCarran International Airport, UMC Express Care @ LAS will play a key role in UMC’s ongoing effort to expand access to high-quality care for community members and travelers alike,” said UMC CEO Mason Van Houweling in a statement. “As our community continues to reopen, this UMC clinic will further position Las Vegas as a safe travel destination that prioritizes the health of visitors.”

Medical clinics in McCarran are nothing new, as one was in operation as recently as August 2019, when Code 3 Urgent Care shut down due to business reasons, according to Joe Rajchel, airport spokesman.

“The airport has had onsite health clinics dating back many years, excluding periods of intermittent closures between different operators,” Rajchel said. “Since that time, airport management has sought to bring in another operator to reopen the space, and UMC is a capable and willing partner. Any timing overlap with the pandemic was purely coincidental.”

The space is essentially already built out for a medical clinic, as it was previously set up and used as a medical facility. Any changes made to the space would be paid for by UMC.

Tentative plans call for the services at the clinic to be offered between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily, and for it to be open to both the traveling public and airport employees.

UMC will charge the same fees as it does in its off-airport urgent care clinics, Rajchel said.

Staffing plans are tentatively scheduled to include a nurses, an X-ray technician with additional support from telehealth.

As part of the lease deal, UMC has the exclusive right to display its logo on all hand sanitizer stations throughout McCarran. UMC staff will also service all sanitizer stations throughout the airport and the McCarran Rent-A-Car Center.

Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on Twitter.