Former patient James Kish, 14, uses a hammer to hit a wall in the entrance to the pediatric services area at Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Henderson. The ceremonial wall demolition, which took place instead of a groundbreaking, marks the kickoff of a $2.4 million project to expand children’s ER services. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Former patient Landon DeFriez, 9, uses a hammer to hit a wall in the entrance to the pediatric services area at Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Henderson. The ceremonial wall demolition, which took place instead of a groundbreaking, marks the kickoff of a $2.4 million project to expand children’s ER services. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Jon Van Boening, president/CEO of Dignity Health’s Nevada market and of St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus, talks about the expansion of pediatric services Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Henderson. The ceremonial wall demolition, which took place instead of a groundbreaking, marks the kickoff of a $2.4 million project to expand children’s ER services. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Former patient Landon DeFriez, 9, poses for a photo after using a hammer to hit a wall in the entrance to the pediatric services area at Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Henderson. The ceremonial wall demolition, which took place instead of a groundbreaking, marks the kickoff of a $2.4 million project to expand children’s ER services. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
Former patients Landon DeFriez, 9, left, and James Kish, 14, pose after using a hammer to hit a wall in the entrance to the pediatric services area at Dignity Health’s St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022, in Henderson. The ceremonial wall demolition, which took place instead of a groundbreaking, marks the kickoff of a $2.4 million project to expand children’s ER services. (Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal) @csstevensphoto
A Henderson hospital is expanding in order to help more children.
St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena campus held a ceremony on Thursday to kick off a $2.4 million project to relocate and expand its children’s ER services.
However, instead of the usual shovels-in-the-dirt groundbreaking, former pediatric patients swung hammers to break a ceremonial wall.
The project will create a new pediatric emergency entrance and admitting area.
This comes as Nevada hospitals deal with rising cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. Last week hospitals across the Las Vegas Valley said their pediatric hospital beds were filling up or full due to RSV and other respiratory illnesses.
Siena officials say pediatric emergency visits rose 26.8 percent last year after rising 10.4 percent in 2020.
The expansion project is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2023.
