Connector Between Carson Tahoe Health Regional Medical Center & the Sierra building Now Open!

A construction project in the works since 2017, before the pandemic, before a national staffing shortage, and before grueling Tahoe fires … is now complete. After much planning, two years of construction and fine-tuning, and a blessing from Peggy Locke, CTH Chaplain, the Carson Tahoe Walkway between Carson Tahoe Health’s Regional Medical Center and Sierra is open for use.

The enclosed structure bridges across Eagle Valley Creek and offers large windowed walls and spectacular views of the surrounding flora and fauna while providing patients, staff, and visitors convenient access between the two buildings. With two levels, the multi-purpose walkway can be used by both visitors and guests (upper level), and by staff and emergency medical services to transport patients (lower level).

“The Sierra building was fully acquired by the Regional Medical Center in 2015,” said Michelle Joy, Chief Operating Officer at Carson Tahoe Health. “Now, with the connector complete, we can easily travel between units to better utilize our resources and available inpatient beds while streamlining patient care.”

In addition to reducing transportation barriers, the connector also now houses the new 9,800 sq. ft. Carson Tahoe Laboratory. “We outgrew the existing lab,” Joy said.  “The additional space allows breathing room, allowing lab staff to process around 2,100 orders per day.” Carson Tahoe’s lab services touch the lives of approximately 600 patients per day, performing over 3.1 million tests annually.

“This project signifies resiliency,” Joy said. “With a global pandemic this last year and a half, the community and our employees have really been through a lot. I’m both proud and humbled that we were able to let our construction workers safely continue working and we are thrilled to have this project behind us.”

While many of these projects are easy to see from the outside, there is also a lot of work taking place inside each Carson Tahoe Health facility to keep its services state-of-the-art. A multi-year project to update and energize every patient room is currently underway, emergency room, pre-op, and post-op units have been remodeled to be more efficient, staff are being supported in ongoing advanced training and education, and equipment and technology are continually being updated to meet the healthcare needs of the community.

While Carson Tahoe is eager to invite the public into its new space … its visitation restrictions are still in place, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Please be patient with us as we navigate this with you. For additional details, and specifics about Carson Tahoe’s visitation restrictions, visit CarsonTahoe.com.