4 Las Vegas Hospitals Declare "Internal Disasters" as Closures Strain Capacity

As of Tuesday, Feb. 25, four hospitals in Las Vegas have temporarily closed their emergency departments to ambulances as capacity management problems have rendered them unable to accept more patients, according to a report from the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

An influx of mentally ill patients in area EDs has reduced capacity for acutely ill patients, preventing them from being seen in area hospitals. EDs in the area often hold 200 mentally ill patients, nearly a 70 percent increase over 2004 levels in the county.

Clark County officials are considering opening a community triage center in the area, though such a facility would take six months to open its doors.

Until a more permanent solution is available, Nevada officials are working with the affected hospitals to help them transfer mentally ill patients to private hospitals, the names of which remain undisclosed, according to the report.

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