More Than a Hospital: Designing a New Future for Pediatric Care in Nevada
by Michelle Amberson, AIA, ACHA, EDAC
As a healthcare architect for nearly two decades, I have specialized in designing healthcare environments that respond not only to clinical requirements but to the broader challenges facing communities. Our collaboration with Intermountain Health in Las Vegas embodies this philosophy: the creation of Nevada’s first standalone comprehensive care children’s hospital. More than just a building, this project represents a transformative investment in a state long underserved by pediatric care; one designed not only to care for children but to attract and retain the exceptional talent required to deliver world-class care.
Addressing a Healthcare Desert
The need is urgent. Nevada has historically struggled to attract and retain pediatric specialists, leading to significant gaps in care and forcing many families to travel out of state for treatment. A comprehensive needs assessment by Tripp Umbach confirmed what local families and providers have long known—the state is a pediatric healthcare desert. This initiative presents a rare opportunity to build from the ground up and to tailor the design to meet the specific and evolving needs of Nevada. As Lawrence Barnard, President of Intermountain Health’s Nevada Children’s Hospital, puts it: “Creating something from scratch is a lot different than trying to turn a ship around. This is a way to create a practice the way health care professionals think it should be done.”
The site unveiling for Intermountain Health’s stand-alone children’s hospital on Tuesday, Oct 22, 2024.
A Purpose-Built Strategy
At the heart of the design is a strategy rooted in horizontal alignment—placing inpatient and outpatient services on the same floor to enable seamless coordination and real-time collaboration among care teams. Unlike older hospital campuses that separate services across distant buildings, this model brings teams together in integrated centers of excellence. This improves clinical workflow, reduces patient handoffs, and enhances both staff and family experiences. It’s a level of functional integration that high-performing clinicians increasingly expect and seek out when choosing where to practice.
Physician engagement session in Las Vegas. Photo via Michelle Amberson.
Children’s engagement activity in Las Vegas where children were asked to collage their vision for a new hospital.
Photo by Michelle Amberson.
Engaging Physicians as Partners
Thoughtful design alone isn’t enough to attract talent. Authentic engagement is key. From the earliest phases of planning, our team facilitated small-group sessions with local physicians, nurses, and other care providers. These listening sessions were spaces for providers to speak candidly about what they need to do their best work and ultimately yielded more than clinical insights. They surfaced stories and values that informed the design in meaningful ways whether through spaces for respite and renewal, collaborative team zones that foster connection, or workflows that prioritize dignity and respect. Staff comfort and well-being were treated as strategic imperatives that position the hospital as a highly desirable place to work.
Importantly, these engagements also served as a form of early relationship building. For Intermountain, each session became an opportunity to connect with potential recruits, build trust, and share a vision for a new model of pediatric care in Nevada. In that sense, the design process itself became a platform for recruitment—an invitation for top talent to envision themselves as part of something transformative.
Shaping the Region’s Healthcare Narrative
The impact of this project extends well beyond the Las Vegas Valley. By delivering a pediatric facility that rivals the best in the country, Intermountain and its design team are helping to recast Nevada’s healthcare profile. The hospital will serve as both a clinical hub and a recruitment beacon—a place where providers can do their best work and where families can find hope close to home.
Ultimately, this is more than a hospital. It is a strategic tool in transforming pediatric healthcare in the region. It’s a magnet for talent, a symbol of trust, and a catalyst for rewriting the future of care in Nevada.
Michelle Amberson, AIA, ACHA, EDAC
Principal
Bringing vast experience in project management and medical planning, Michelle has led and successfully delivered several very large and prestigious medical facilities.