Hospitals and clinics across the Las Vegas valley are dealing with staffing shortages across nearly every level of care, from doctors and nurses to critical support staff. Despite some progress being made, medical professionals believe the region still has a long way to go to meet the needs of its growing population. Dr. Andrew Sabour, an assistant professor at UNLV and minimally invasive and bariatric surgeon, said the valley is significantly behind other major metro areas like Boston or Detroit in comparison to Las Vegas' level of healthcare staffing. He cited Boston as a key example, with about 90 surgeons per one million people in Las Vegas compared to roughly 290 per million in Boston. This gap can directly impact patients' wait times for appointments, diagnoses and procedures. The shortage of specialists has also led some patients to leave the state for treatment, leading to longer wait times and higher costs. Sabour believes that more investment is needed to address the shortage.