Carson Valley Health breaks ground on expansion project

Project adds nearly 44,000 square feet, additional services

GARDNERVILLE, Nev. – Carson Valley Health executives, board members and community leaders were on hand Friday, Oct. 15, to break ground on the medical center’s expansion project.

The expansion will include acute care and ICU, emergency room, surgery department and radiology services; increase emergency room capacity from five to 12 beds; increase operating room capacity from two limited rooms to three full-size operating rooms plus two procedure rooms; include two additional private in-patient beds and ICU space while providing minimal disruptions to operations during construction.

Jeff Prater, Chief Executive Officer for Carson Valley Health, said the addition will provide improved access to care as more patients will be able to receive care in their community.

“This project will provide an enhanced environment of care with improved efficiencies, safety and infection control measures, as well as private rooms for patients, improved air handling equipment and improved navigation for patients and visitors,” Prater said.

Originally built as an Urgent Care facility in 1993, the facility also offered primary care with family and internal medicine, lab facilities, physical therapy, pharmacy and medical imaging. Outpatient surgery, 24-hour emergency room and rehabilitation therapy services were added in 1995. The existing hospital opened in 2004.

In 2006, CVH expanded services to cover Yerington, Topaz Ranch Estates, Wellington, Smith Valley, Coleville and the surrounding areas.

Since 2008, additional primary care services were added when Minden Family Medicine and Complete Care and Job’s Peak Internal Medicine and Family Practice joined CVH. Senior Care services and Vitality for Life programs were added to serve the valley’s patients over the age of 65 in 2009-10.

CVH Urgent Care, primary care and occupational health services were added in Minden in 2014, and in 2019, CVH began behavioral health and Child and Adolescent programs.

“Our vision is to strengthen our community by providing accessible, affordable, high-quality healthcare for all in our communities,” Prater said. “As our community is growing, so must our services.”

CVH currently employs more than 460 employees, and Prater estimates an increase in staffing needs of up to 20% in a wide range of backgrounds and expertise over time.

First up for completion in the existing site is the rehabilitation center in mid-January 2022, followed by the sterile processing department in late February. New building construction begins in early May with substantial completion by the end of 2023.

The project is estimated to create 100-150 construction jobs during the course of construction.

Gilbane Building Company has been selected to be the contractor for the expansion, and Nevada-based contractors and sub-contractors will be used when possible.

“We are pleased to partner with Gilbane Building Company; DLR Group for architecture and engineering; Elevation Health Care Advisory Group for compliance and consulting; and with Guidehouse Insights for market analysis,” Prater said. “These partners were selected for their extensive experience with requirements, regulations and best practices for healthcare facilities. With their expertise, our new facility will be able to provide state of the art services in our regional community for years to come.”

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Photo Cutline: Rendering of the new Carson Valley Health expansion project. Project completion is estimated to be December 2023.

Editors’ Note: A video detailing the project can be viewed here. Additional project details and updates as they occur can be found here. Additional renderings of the site can be found here.

About Carson Valley Health

Carson Valley Health (CVH), established in 1993, serves the Carson Valley area. The 23-bed Critical Access Hospital provides employment for 455 employees, which includes 145 medical staff providers.

CVH has an overall mission to care for the health of our community. Our vision is to strengthen our community by providing accessible, affordable, high quality health care to all. CVH serves the community by encompassing the values of respect, excellence, integrity and compassion.