75 to 100 Nellis medical staff work at UMC daily

Between 75 and 100 medical staff from Nellis Air Force Base work inside University Medical Center on any given day. This arrangement makes the partnership the largest military-civilian collaboration in the United States.

The base began looking at civilian hospitals more than 10 years ago to improve training for combat injuries. Service members often sustain gunshot wounds and burns that are similar to those seen in Southern Nevada. UMC is a Level 1 Trauma Center, which provides the necessary volume of severe cases.

Col. Dallas Hansen leads the Office of Military Medicine at UMC. He stated that uncontrolled hemorrhage is the primary cause of preventable death in wartime. He said that when patients arrive at UMC bleeding, staff gain critical experience in stopping the flow. Hansen flew combat missions in Afghanistan in 2018, where he treated victims of a bombing.

Nellis Air Force also operates Critical Care Air Transport Teams, or CCAT. These small groups fly into combat zones to retrieve injured service members and contractors. They provide care at altitudes up to 30,000 feet while the plane moves through turbulence. Dr. Melissa Rosas, a CCAT member, described the plane as an intensive care unit on the back of a cargo plane.

Dr. Rosas and SSgt. Ashley Byrd flew into the Middle East last winter. They transported injured active-duty members to hospitals in Germany or the United States. Byrd said the training at UMC gave her confidence to trust her gut and her team in difficult situations. Lt. James Hurst, another CCAT member, noted that the work keeps his medical knowledge current.

UMC officials say the presence of military staff helps address a local healthcare shortage. Dr. Jeremy Kilburn, a UMC Pulmonary Critical Care Physician, said the hospital serves as a safety net for many people. He stated that removing the 100 military staff would create a huge gap in available doctors and nurses.

The retired head of the Office of Military Medicine at UMC confirmed that a health care shortage continues in Las Vegas and the state. Kilburn said the military presence helps fill that need. He described the environment as one where the sick and critically ill receive care from a combined team.