The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust has announced grants totaling more than $11.3 million to provide diagnostic and radiology equipment and simulation-based training at ten Nevada hospitals.

Awarded through the trust's Rural Healthcare Program, which added Nevada to its portfolio, the grants build on findings from a recent survey of Nevada's Critical Access Hospitals, which identified x-ray equipment, ultrasound machines, CT scanners, and simulation-based learning as top needs. Funding also will support the sustainability of supported hospitals, as newer equipment drives higher usage and supports higher reimbursement rates. Awards include $2.2 million to the Nevada Community Foundation, which will fund the purchase of a fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy for Desert View Hospital in Pahrump as well as 3D mammography equipment, a CT scanner, a fixed x-ray device, and a portable x-ray machine for Mesa View Regional Hospital in Mesquite; $1.8 million to Incline Village Community Hospital for a CT scanner, fixed x-ray device, and related costs; and $959,000 to enable William Bee Ririe Hospital in Ely to acquire a CT scanner and a fixed x-ray device with fluoroscopy.

"Your ZIP code shouldn't determine your healthcare outcomes," said Helmsley Charitable Trust trustee Walter Panzirer. "These grants will help level the playing field for Nevada's rural hospitals by giving patients access to the same state-of-the-art equipment found in urban centers."