April 4, 2023

Construction begins on UMC ReVITALize: 26-acre campus to undergo transformation

Las Vegas Sun

University Medical Center will soon look and feel like a different hospital.

The renovation will be the largest in UMC’s history, spanning all 26 acres of its health care campus in the central Las Vegas Valley, and includes refurbishment of the UMC facade, the development of two healing gardens, new lighting, landscaping and signage, an additional entrance and more, said CEO Mason Van Houweling.

“This project will continue to put UMC on the map, building on our strong reputation and position as Nevada’s premier health care leader,” Van Houweling said during the groundbreaking event, which featured customized Pinkbox donuts, a Dig It! Coffee Co. pop-up and several renderings of the completed renovation.

The project, which experienced a delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, has been in the works since about 15 years ago when a group of people focused on developing a medical school in Las Vegas realized the need for a revitalized hospital to go along with it, said John O’Reilly, chairman of UMC’s governing board.

The board has identified several different development opportunities for UMC over the past decade, he said, including its finances, services and care. With ReVITALize, people will now be able to see from the outside all that UMC is accomplishing on the inside, O’Reilly said.

“I think what we’ve done so far is noteworthy, but what we’re going to do going forward is extraordinary,” he said during the event, standing at a podium flanked by massive construction machinery.

The UMC Children’s Hospital will eventually be rebranded a “Women’s and Children’s Hospital,” O’Reilly added, to support the idea that children must be taken care of from conception onward.

Clark County Commissioner William McCurdy II, who chairs the UMC Board of Trustees, said he looked forward to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital doubling down on the hospital’s promise to care for its community.

UMC has been offering world-class health care and treatment to Clark County for more than nine decades, he said, and ReVITALize will provide it with a “much-needed face-lift.”

“The staff — they deserve it,” said McCurdy, who was joined in attendance by fellow county commissioners. “Our community deserves it. You all are the ones who are on the front lines who are ensuring that our constituents — in their darkest times — are receiving the world-class care that they need. And I’m grateful to be with you as we embark on this journey for this beautiful project.”

The renovation, which officially begins construction today and is slated for completion by summer 2025, will be designed and developed with Grand Canyon Development Partners, Friedmutter Group and general contractor Martin-Harris Construction.

His team has spent months doing all of the research and review necessary for the ReVITALize project to happen, said Guy Harris, president of Martin-Harris Construction.

“Lives are saved, lives are changed and trust is built in the walls of this facility behind me,” Harris said during the event, which took place in the UMC Trauma parking lot. “So, thank you again on behalf of Martin-Harris Construction — all of our local subcontractors and partners. And I can tell you right now — your facility is in the best hands it could be.”

The project, expected to cost around $50 million to $55 million, is being paid for with existing operational funds accumulated over many years due to efficiencies and financial improvements at UMC, said Scott Kerbs, UMC’s public relations director.

Monday’s event ended with hospital and county leaders signing a beam that will be used in the construction. Other attendees added their signatures, and then county and UMC officials used commemorative shovels to dig a pile of dirt as a symbol of the renovation’s groundbreaking.

“Please stick with us,” O’Reilly said during the event. “Watch the ride over the next few years beginning today. It’s only going to get better.”

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