LV hospital chief leaves, layoffs set

Vencor Inc. has lost its top Las Vegas executive and plans to cut certified therapist jobs locally, a spokeswoman said today.

But Vencor still plans to grow in Las Vegas and should add about 500 Las Vegas jobs over the next two years, spokeswoman Susan Moss said from company headquarters in Louisville, Ky.

Vencor, one of the nation's largest long-term health care companies, announced nationwide job cuts Thursday in an effort to prepare for lower federal Medicare nursing home reimbursement payments. The government is switching to a fixed rate rather than reimbursement based on a facility's costs.

Moss said about 1,000 jobs will be cut nationwide, which is less than 1 percent of the company's 80,000-employee work force.

"Yes, the Las Vegas market will be affected," Moss said.

She did not know how many jobs would be lost in the company's Las Vegas operations.

Vencor's local administrator, Dale Kirby, resigned within the last month and interviews are under way to hire a new administrator, Moss said. Kirby couldn't be reached for comment. Kay Gray is now the acting administrator.

Vencor now employs about 400 people in Las Vegas. The company operates Vencor Torrey Pines Care Center and Vencor Hospital Las Vegas on West Sahara Avenue.

The company announced in February it was expanding Las Vegas operations with a project under construction on East Flamingo Road and plans to add two additional facilities, one on Pecos Road and another on Desert Inn Road and Durango Drive. It also is planning expansions to its West Sahara facility.

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