Care transformed by a shared vision

All the best — and all for the kids

In 2012, St. Rose Dominican Hospital received a gift that would transform pediatric healthcare in Las Vegas.

At the time, there was only one board certified pediatric endocrinologists in the entire city. For kids with conditions like type 1 diabetes, growth disorders or pituitary disorders, receiving care required cobbling together appointments with specialists at different clinics, which could often be more than an hour away. 

A vision took shape at St. Rose Dominican: create an outpatient clinic with all the facilities and specialists needed to care for these kids, all in one place, right on the hospital’s campus.

Personal inspiration leads to profound impact

Local philanthropist and business investor Kirk Kerkorian, pictured below, had given to national diabetes research initiatives in the past, but he was looking to make a difference for local children. And he was familiar with St. Rose Dominican, since he’d supported several St. Rose projects in the past. In many ways, this clinic felt like the perfect partnership. 

He directed a gift of $2.5 million through his Dream Fund, which created the St. Rose Pediatric Endocrinology Dream Fund Clinic that still serves Las Vegas today. In subsequent years, he would invest an additional $1.6 million toward the clinic.

Charlie Guida, Vice President of Philanthropy, Central Region, was a member of the St. Rose Dominican Health Foundation at the time. He recalls the profound transformation he witnessed, thanks to Kirk Kerkorian’s generosity:

“With this investment, we were able to recruit our first physician, recruit an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) and a nurse practitioner, as well as start the first hospital-based clinic. It really made an impact on the lives of children and their families, not just for diabetes, but all endocrinology issues. To this day, it’s the only hospital-based pediatric endocrinology clinic in all of Las Vegas.”

For Guida, that impact is tangible. His own child was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 6 — and before the Dream Fund Clinic opened in 2014, he was one of those parents bringing his child on long drives to his specialist appointments. Having leading-edge care near home, all under one roof, has become a blessing for their entire family.

Growing a lasting legacy

Since the Dream Fund Clinic first opened its doors, the whole medical group has seen remarkable growth: having the prestigious clinic has attracted numerous physicians and pediatricians to the Dignity Health Medical Group Nevada. But as Guida is quick to point out, this isn’t exclusively because of the Dream Fund Clinic. Instead, the clinic was part of a holistic — and highly successful — strategy to elevate St. Rose Dominican and provide the best care possible to all members of the Las Vegas community.

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