Quick Care center closing

The direction from the Clark County Commission followed a report by two top UMC administrators highlighting the center’s continued financial burden on the hospital and low patient volume.

Although recent patient loss was attributed to the June 27 closure of Russell Road, a main artery leading to the care center, the facility is among 10 UMC specialty care services tagged for possible closure to save the hospital money.

According to hospital reports, closure of the McCarran Quick Care would save UMC an estimated $1.7 million annually, or an average of $141,000 per month.

The center provides primary and urgent care to patients and is one of 11 such centers operated by UMC in the Las Vegas Valley.

The future of the other services remains up in air.

Two public forums are scheduled later this month at the Clark County Government Center so administrators can hear feedback from the public about those services and which ones are most needed.

“While we wanted to respect the public participation process and see it to conclusion, certain events have transpired that cause us to believe that for business reasons we need to accelerate the closure of McCarran Quick Care and relocation of some of its services,” Kathy Silver, UMC’s interim Chief Executive Office, said during Tuesday’s commission meeting.

The facility opened in 1994 and was scheduled to relocate to a larger facility in January 2008 at Russell Road and Surrey Street. However, the new lease was proposed at more than twice the amount of lease at the current facility, which was scheduled to close on Oct. 31.

Lynn Scott, executive director of patient services, said the hospital had no choice but to ask the commission to accelerate the McCarran Quick Care closure after noticing a dramatic drop in patient load in recent days.

Once the center closes, patients are urged to use the Sunset Quick Care on Marks Street in Henderson or the Boulder Quick Care on Boulder Highway near Tropicana Avenue.

McCarran Quick Care is also where Las Vegas police and Clark County firefighters undergo mandatory physicals.

Those exams will be relocated to UMC’s Enterprise Quick Care on Wheeler Peak Drive, near Martin Luther King Boulevard and Owens Avenue.

Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Lawrence Weekly expressed concerns about McCarran Quick Care staff and whether they would have jobs.

“Times are really hard, and I’d like to know that there will be a concerted effort to make sure none of these people are not displaced, and that we’re not just sitting here saying something on the record,” Weekly said.

Scott said there are openings in other facilities as well as at the hospital and that every effort will be made to relocate McCarran Quick Care staff.