The City of Las Vegas is reaching for the next level as it continues to develop the Las Vegas Medical District to improve the quality of health care in the valley, as well as an important selling-point to retain new doctors who've finished their medical training locally.

The Las Vegas Medical District (LVMD) is comprised of a number of health care facilities in the downtown area including U.M.C., Valley Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and the UNLV School of Dental Medicine. Now, with the recent addition of UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, Mayor Carolyn Goodman says the stars are aligned for the next step.

"The Las Vegas Medical District is really the second most important piece of what a world-class city needs," said Mayor Goodman. "First is safety, and then health care."

Insiders now see the LVMD evolving into a hub known in other major metropolitan areas referred to as an academic medical center – a center for medical research, training, and practice.

"It's about being that place where you can get to easily, and it's just the core of the entire community. And everybody has a right, especially those who are less fortunate in an economic level, to have quality medical care available," Goodman said. "I think we're right now on the cusp of looking at really improving quality medical care and services for pediatrics. But we're looking at that because we've become a global center for sports and sports medicine."

But, Goodman also says the city can't accomplish the mission alone, and a vibrant LVMD won't be enough to encourage young health care professionals to remain in Southern Nevada to set up a practice. She says the state needs to step up with additional Medicaid funding.

"The starter would be across the board, not just 'per service.' Whatever they're talking about is raised across the board. Medicaid reimbursement. That's the first step that will keep doctors that we trained from flooding out," the mayor said. "It will also because of our wonderful weather and the excitement of living here. It will the intrigue of building a facility or building a practice. It's wide open here."

City hall is also stepping up to enhance the LVMD. "The city of Las Vegas has invested about $ 70 million within the Medical District," said Ward 1 councilman Brian Knudsen. Knudsen says the city's investment is only a fraction of the overall money being spent on LVMD improvements and development. "Those have leveraged an additional 400 million from the private sector and the State of Nevada. The Medical District is really going to be a completely different space than what we've ever seen before in Nevada, that's going to recruit and retrain amazing physicians to be in our community," he said.

Knudsen says dramatic changes within the LVMD will begin at a matter of months.

"About six months from now, we're going to break ground on a new apartment complex," Knudsen said. "We want to place for those new doctors to live. About a year from now, we're going to break ground on 100,000 square feet of medical office space, a hotel, a parking garage. You're going to see new amenities in the Medical District, so all of the nurses, the doctors, the medical professionals that are working in the Medical District will now have a place to live and play."

Knudsen says the city will play an important role going forward to provide incentives for medical professionals to stay in the valley, enhancing the quality of health care for residents, and expand the types of health care being offered. "The Medical District will be home for great health care within southern Nevada. And, because of the catalyst of U.M.C., Valley Hospital, the School of Medicine, you're going to see a great place where doctors want to live," he said.

"I would encourage anybody to drive down shadow lane," Knudsen added. "The city's put in about $70 million into Shadow Lane." He's also anticipating enhancements that will make the LVMD more livable.

"Public art is a hallmark of a really great American city, a really great European city, a really great African city. Artwork is what I think is needed in order to make the Medical District home to so many people that drive through the Medical District or work in the Medical District. And so I'm spending a considerable amount of time with the City of Las Vegas with our private developers on making sure that we have public art monuments and murals throughout the Medical District."

"I would encourage anybody to kind of imagine what it looks like right now, drive through and see what it looks like right now. And then in two years, you're going to see a completely enhanced, amazing medical district that you're going to want to get medical care from, with amazing art installations throughout the Medical District," Knudsen said.

Mayor Goodman hopes the vision is soon supported by state lawmakers, currently in session in Carson City. "We need the laws. We need the policies in place to attract and build these phenomenal offerings that need to substantiate the medical services we provide," she said. "There's so many pieces that make it happen, and we just need to get on it now. Stop talking about it and get it done."