Hospital launches fundraising for critical expansion

By David A. Zeleniak

Hospitals can benefit all of us in our most vulnerable time of need. They must focus on providing quality health care, irrespective of costs and patients’ ability to pay; they serve all. However, the reality is hospitals must manage organizational costs, pay their bills and provide levels of service that match their financial position. Oftentimes, the hospital’s range of services fall short of what all local residents need, so patients are forced to travel elsewhere for care. This is the story of Mesa View, a critical access hospital and one of the 14 rural hospitals in Nevada.

Those rural hospitals all continue to face increasing financial pressures resulting from lower reimbursement rates, rising medical costs and poor employee retention. Hospitals, unlike consumer for-profit corporations, cannot raise prices to counteract rising costs. Further, hospitals cannot increase prices if there’s a greater demand for services. Most rural hospitals in Nevada have relied on some form of support, such as donations, foundations or governmental assistance, to mitigate some of these financial pressures.

Since its inception in 2008, Mesa View has provided basic quality health care, such as orthopedic, radiology, internal medicine and, most recently, cardiac rehabilitation. However, the real anchor level of services is Mesa View’s emergency room, the gold standard in the community. Mesa View’s ER shines with its ability to quickly diagnose, stabilize patients and either treat locally or transport elsewhere for specialized care. Social media, community meetings and The Joint Commission (TJC), the accrediting organization for Medicare, all support that gold standard assertion.

According to the American Heart Association, the #1 cause of adult demise in the United States is heart disease, accounting for 22% of all mortalities. The average age in Mesquite is 65 years old, which will continue to increase and certainly drives that 22% number higher in Mesquite. These critical statistics and the needs of our residents support Mesa View’s number one priority of establishing a cardiology practice.

In concert with the establishment of a cardiology practice, a medical office building is planned to house the current and projected increase in the number of specialized service providers. This will include infusion therapy, internal medicine, gastroenterology and others.

In order to fund the expansion, Mesa View Hospital has established a Friends of Mesa View Fund. The fund is a registered 501(c)(3) and is held at the Wyoming Community Foundation. Donations to the fund are tax deductible and directly support expanding specialized health care services, beginning with cardiology. Too many residents are traveling to St. George or Las Vegas for health care services currently unavailable at Mesa View, a trend the hospital is committed to reversing.

In summary, the long-term strategy for Mesa View is twofold and a parallel effort. While the hospital handles planning and construction of the medical office building, the Friends of Mesa View Fund will raise the funds for the required advanced equipment needed for specialized service, starting with cardiology.

For information on the Friends of Mesa View Fund, a detailed list of advanced capital and how to donate, please visit www.friendsofmesaviewhospital.org, and for further information on the Wyoming Community Foundation, wycf.org.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact info@friendsofmesaviewhospital.org.

David A. Zeleniak,

Chairman of the Friends of Mesa View Fund Advisory Board

Member of the Board of Trustees, Mesa View Regional Hospital

7/29/2025 
Edit: The correct email address to contact Friends of Mesa View Hospital is info@friendsofmesaviewhospital.org