No outside medical assistance needed for Las Vegas shooting

CARSON CITY — Southern Nevada hospitals and medical personnel were able to respond to the massive number of injuries from the Oct. 1 Las Vegas mass shooting and did not seek help from out-of-state, an official said Monday.

Gov. Brian Sandoval signed an emergency order in case such assistance was needed to help treat the hundreds injured in the aftermath of the mass shooting on the Route 91 Harvest Festival, where 58 people were killed and 489 injured.

“We appreciate the swift action taken by the governor and his team in a time of a tragedy,“ said Christopher Lake, executive director of community resilience for the Nevada Hospital Association. “At the time of the request, the volume of patients and the magnitude of the trauma from the event was unknown. The patient arrival rate compounded our concerns of the health care community response and the capacity of Clark County’s hospitals.”

Lake said patient arrivals, treatment and surgery have stabilized, and the health care resources available have balanced to the needs of the patients.

“Due to the incredible response from within our community, we have been able to meet health care personnel needs,” he said. “While we continue to monitor the situation, we have not seen circumstances that warrant bringing in providers from outside of the state in response to this tragic event.”

Contact Sean Whaley at swhaley@reviewjournal.com or 775-461-3820. Follow@seanw801on Twitter.