LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — More than 50 residents gathered at St. Andrew Catholic Church in Boulder City tonight to voice concerns and press hospital leaders over upcoming changes to Boulder City Hospital.
We first told you about this change on March 3. Here's what we've learned since then.
The facility is set to transition to a Rural Emergency Hospital, a shift that could change where and how residents receive care. Starting May 1, any patient needing an overnight stay or more than 24 hours of care will be transferred to other area hospitals.
WATCH | Boulder City Hospital to transition to a Rural Emergency Hospital
The biggest changes will impact acute in-patient services, including Med Surg, the Trauma Resuscitation Unit, and Geriatric Psychiatry. For some, it may mean traveling beyond city limits for certain services.
I spoke with community members and hospital officials about why this change is happening and what it could mean for access to care.
"We are going to lose a lot of things... and I was concerned about the people that work there... I don't want to travel any further than I have to... if we could stay here in town, that would be better," a resident said.
I spoke with hospital CEO Thomas Maher and asked why exactly these changes were happening and why they felt it was necessary. Maher said it comes down to a major federal funding cut.
Last year, Congress passed HR 1, also known as the "Big Beautiful Bill," which slashed Medicaid reimbursements and cut a key program the hospital relied on, the provider fee program, in half. That money helped cover costs for inpatient services despite low patient volumes.
"This provider type of rural emergency hospital is a right-sized organization for Boulder City, and making this conversion is ensuring that we're going to maintain critical services, healthcare services to this community for the foreseeable future." Maher said.
If you would like to share your thoughts on these changes, hospital leaders say written comments from the public are welcome.
Do you have questions about heathcare happenings in your area? Reach out to me at Abel.Garcia@ktnv.com, or by clicking on the banner below.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
