Henderson’s Rise Leads To New

Hospital Opening

Sam Kaufman Named Head Of New Facility

 By Paul H. Janda, D.O.

Henderson (or more officially, the City of Henderson), is the second largest city in Nevada with an estimated population of nearly 300,000 people. There are a few key reasons for its size. In 2011, Forbes magazine deemed Henderson “America’s second safest city”; Bloomberg Businessweek named it one of the “Best Cities to Live in America”; and the Uniform Crime Report, published by The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), ranked Henderson one of the top 10 “Safest Cities in the United States.”

These attributes have resulted in Henderson’s popularity…but it’s not only known for its safety: Henderson’s population is ethnically diverse, comprising all ages and socioeconomic strata; it’s renowned for mild winters and hot summers; and a multitude of master-planned residential communities have helped contribute to the city’s public schools being highly regarded. As a result, demand has also grown for medical care to match the level of living at which its citizens have become accustomed.

The Valley Health System noted this challenging circumstance and has stepped up to the task. Adding to its consortium of five independent hospitals—Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center, Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center, Summerlin Hospital Medical Center, and Valley Hospital Medical Center—the system is building a new, state-of-the-art medical center to fill the needs of Hendersonians.

Henderson Hospital will be the newest addition to Valley Health System designed from the ground up to deliver the same high level of medical care as its other facilities, which will be thanks, in part, to its leadership. Sam Kaufman, the former concurrent chief executive officer of Valley Hospital Medical Center and Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, will serve as its CEO.

Kudos For Kaufman

Kaufman’s years of experience helped him helm an award-winning facility that delivered outstanding patient care while preserving strong relationships with community physicians at Valley Hospital Medical Center. Kaufman oversaw residency training programs in the fields of Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, Orthopedic Surgery, and Neurology, and he also maintained strong administrative support of fellowship programs in Pulmonary and Critical-Care Medicine, as well as Gastroenterology.

The successes of those programs solidified Kaufman’s reputation and affinity for promoting education. With Nevada’s well-known shortage of physicians, the potential for additional residency training programs would be a solid step in solving this problem in Henderson, as well, and Kaufman has the background to do it. He serves as an active board member on the Governor’s Committee for Medical Education, and he sits on the Health Law Advisory Board for the new Health Law Law Master’s Program, currently in development at the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV. Kaufman’s accolades are predicted to guide Henderson Hospital’s trajectory toward becoming one of Nevada’s premier hospitals, while bettering the city of Henderson as a whole.

High Hopes for Henderson Hospital

The Valley Health System is known for delivering evidence-based care, and Henderson Hospital will continue this trend as a comprehensive, full-functioning hospital with services that meet and exceed Henderson’s needs. The hospital will provide emergency care; surgical services; and women’s and children’s services, including a maternity ward and a nursery. Ancillary services such as on-site laboratory facilities, respiratory therapy, radiology, and an inpatient pharmacy will also be on the hospital’s campus.

State-of-the-art patient rooms equipped with the latest technology, and a “Healing and Wellness Garden” and a “Butterfly Garden”—where patients, families and visitors can share time together and heal—will round out the hospital’s amenities.

Located at the intersection of the U.S. 95 and Galleria Drive, when Henderson Hospital opens Nov. 1, 2016, it will be both a necessary and a welcomed addition to the city. 

Paul H. Janda, DO, is a board-certified neurologist and the founding member of Las Vegas Neurology Center, a multi-specialty neurology group that is also one of the largest neurology groups in Las Vegas. Janda is the president-elect of the American Heart Association for Las Vegas. And as a graduate of UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, Janda is Nevada’s first, and only, board-certified neurologist-attorney.