University Medical Center

Serving Southern Nevada Since 1931

UMC has served the health care needs of Southern Nevadans since 1931, when a dusty dirt road was the only way to reach the 20-bed hospital and its one doctor and nurse.

With the construction of the Boulder Dam (now known as the Hoover Dam) bringing an influx of residents and increased demand for hospital facilities, UMC began as the Clark County Indigent Hospital in 1931, serving patients in a 20-bed facility located on a dirt road west of the railroad tracks. Later, the road would be paved and named West Charleston Boulevard.

For the first two years of its existence, the new county hospital operated with one doctor and one nurse, both either on duty or on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In 1940, the hospital's first board of trustees was elected, and its name was changed to Clark County General Hospital.

In the 1950s, the hospital was renamed Southern Nevada Memorial Hospital. With the name change, the hospital began to undertake a new mission: keeping up-to-date with the latest developments in medical technology and treatment while expanding its services to meet the needs of a rapidly growing and diverse community.

The Lions Clubs of Clark County funded a burn care unit at the hospital in 1968, bringing a higher level of care to Southern Nevada.

In February 1986, the hospital's name was changed again to University Medical Center of Southern Nevada to better reflect its role as a teaching institution and a medical center offering complete care.

In early 1992, UMC opened a new, freestanding Trauma and Pediatric Center, and in 1996, the hospital dedicated the state’s first freestanding Pediatric Emergency Department. In 2009, UMC’s pediatric services were combined to form Children’s Hospital of Nevada at UMC.

Today, UMC is more than a hospital; it is a comprehensive academic medical center with a rich history of serving the community. UMC now offers the highest level of care in Nevada, providing a wide range of exclusive and specialized health care services to community members and visitors. UMC is home to Nevada's only Level I Trauma Center, only Designated Pediatric Trauma Center, only Burn Care Center and only Center for Transplantation. Children's Hospital of Nevada at UMC serves as the state's only hospital to be recognized and accepted as an associate member of the Children's Hospital Association.

Offering highly skilled physicians, nurses and staff members supported by the latest, cutting-edge technology, UMC and Children's Hospital of Nevada at UMC continue to build upon their shared reputation for providing Nevada’s highest level of care.