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LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – As the Clark County Fire Department (CCFD) says there are almost 200 ambulances in Southern Nevada responding to medical emergencies, a new study shows much else of Nevada is considered an “ambulance desert.”

The University of Southern Maine’s national study on the matter – which analyzed 41 states and was published in May – defines these deserts as populated census areas with “its geographic center outside of a 25-minute drive” from an ambulance service area.

An “ambulance service area” is defined as a geographic area that includes “all roads that can be accessed within a 25-minute drive” of an ambulance station.

The report lists eight ambulance stations within Clark County, with almost all other Nevada counties listed with just one to four stations.

Nevada tops the list of these 41 states for the fewest ambulance stations per 1,000 square feet and 100,000 residents.

Jennifer Wyatt, Clark County Deputy Fire Chief, says supply chain issues exacerbated the national lack of ambulances during the pandemic. Now, she says the problem is finding paramedics to drive them as a generation retires.

“When you hire in big groups in certain years, once you hit retirement years, you see that big flux. Nationwide, we’re having that,” Wyatt said during a virtual interview Tuesday morning.

“(Applicants) would move anywhere to get a fire department job, and we’re just not seeing that because everybody’s hiring within their jurisdiction.”

“(CCFD) rescues has become the backup to the shortage of ambulances.”

While the report says EMS response times can range between four to 10 minutes in urban areas and eight to 19 minutes in rural areas, Clark County paramedics are required by contract to respond under 12 minutes from receiving a 911 call at least 90 percent of the time.

Two of the three contract-holding ambulance companies in the county proved to not do that.Wyatt, during a November 2022 Clark County Commissioners meeting, indicated that AMR and MedicWest were meeting this obligation roughly 76 to 85% of the time.

Service area maps have been redrawn three times since early 2022 to address the tardiness between the two companies.

AMR Regional Director Kirk Schmitt points to the valley’s huge demand for service as they too struggle with staffing: “(It) essentially works out to one paramedic for every 20-plus-thousand residents and visitors.”

In early July, the company began transitioning to 911 protocols that reserve paramedics for the worst calls and dispatches advanced EMTs to other calls.

“The intent of all of this is to reserve the paramedics for the most critical patients so that they’re available to respond in the right time and in the right way,” Schmitt said inside AMR Vegas headquarters Tuesday morning.

“Then, those slightly less acute patients, we can get another resource to them, again, in a very timely matter.”

“It’s not a rationing, it’s really a recognition of how to get the right resource to the right patient.”

Three maps later, Community Ambulance is now responsible for 65 percent of Clark County’s medical calls as they’ve consistently met contractual response time obligations.

Senior Director Glen Simpson says the four square miles of territory given to them in July has led to an increase in pressure on his crews.

“It’s increased our call volume upwards of 60 to 80 for service per day,” Simpson said inside Community Ambulance headquarters Tuesday afternoon. “We’re averaging upwards of about 280 transports a day.”

As portions of Clark County are considered an ambulance desert, Wyatt and Simpson indicate crews and ambulances are increasingly being stationed throughout the valley, rather than remaining at the headquarters, to better meet this 12-minute deadline.

“More calls mean we need more staff. More staff means we need more equipment. More equipment means we need more ambulances,” Simpson said.

The study also highlights that a great distance to care is associated with poorer outcomes for patients being transported.

It also found 11 other states with each county considered to have ambulance deserts, with 15 percent of Nevada’s population residing within one of these deserts.

HENDERSON, Nev. -- The Las Vegas Raiders on Tuesday placed offensive lineman Brandon Parker, a third-round draft pick in 2018 who started 12 games at right tackle as a rookie and 13 games there in 2021, on injured reserve for the second straight year while in training camp, thus potentially ending his season before it starts. His injury this year was not disclosed.

Parker, who did not play in the Raiders' preseason opener Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, suffered a pectoral injury in the 2022 Hall of Fame Game, an exhibition he started.

The Raiders re-signed Parker to a one-year, $1.5 million contract with $375,000 guaranteed and roster bonuses of $15,000 per game active on March 10.

Parker, 27, could potentially play for the Raiders this season should Las Vegas waive him with an injury settlement, he clears waivers and then re-signs with the Raiders.

He had been in competition for the starting right tackle spot in camp with incumbent Jermaine Eluemunor and second-year player Thayer Munford, Jr. and was also listed as the backup left tackle to Kolton Miller on the Raiders' initial depth chart of the preseason.

Parker recently described the injury he suffered in last year's exhibition opener.

"Midway through the second quarter, standing there trying to pass the tight end, I tried to snap the end and I just felt a pop, and it was stronger than I've ever felt before, like a really strong cramp that just didn't go away," Parker said last week. "So I got to the sideline, did my strength test, and about 90% of my strength was gone like instantly.

"They told me four to six months of recovery initially. So, that would have been about December. And about mid-December, I could have come back if I wasn't IR'd for the season. I felt like I had a punch, I was good enough to play. But I'm glad they didn't push me ... because I had more time to get all of my strength back."

Parker also spoke of being re-signed by general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels, despite missing the entire 2022 season.

"It means a lot, I just want to prove them right," he said. "I try to be the leader, the positive guy I am every day in the building. I'm trying to earn the respect of my peers every day I come in here about how I work, how I talk, how I walk. I think the coaches see that, and they were willing to give me another chance because of how I carry myself."

James Beard Award-winning chef and restaurateur Michael Mina is set to open his second restaurant at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino. Eyeing a winter opening, Orla will serve seafood dishes from a number of global cuisines, including Mediterranean, North African, Western Asian, and European.

The restaurant replaces Fleur, the beloved French regional steakhouse opened at the hotel by Chef Hubert Keller in 2005.

Mina also operates StripSteak at Mandalay Bay and, of course, Michael Mina at the Bellagio.

Days of Wine and Frosés

Resorts World will host the Las Vegas debut of the Co-op Frosé & Eatery.

The slushery, specializing in frozen rosé wine (get it, frosés?) will open this fall and operate out of kiosks on the casino floor and an Airstream at the pool. On offer will be 50 rosé slushies in a rotating seasonal selection of about 10 at a time. Sandwiches will also be available, for those who eat.

In a way, the fast-growing chain is coming home, since the idea for its signature menu item came from the giant cocktail slushies seen on the Strip for at least two decades.

The co-op has outlets across the Southeast and two famous retired NFL quarterback investors. In Knoxville, Tenn., that’s Eli Manning. At Resorts World, it’s Sam Bradford.

Dining In & Out

A year and a half after reality TV personality Brett Raymer and Chef Anthony Monte opened Stallone’s Italian Eatery, their Silverado Ranch restaurant with no connection to either Sylvester (or even Frank) Stallone, they’re opening another, next to the sportsbook at Santa Fe Station Hotel and Casino. Raymer created one of Animal Planet’s longest-running shows, “Tanked,” which followed his work as a Las Vegas-based builder of custom fish tanks.

Leoncito, described as “a modern Mexican restaurant,” will open in October at Red Rock Resorts, in the space formerly occupied by Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar.

Chef Joel Ott debuts Joel’s Chophouse on August 31 at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel (formerly the Lucky Dragon). The eatery occupies the second-floor space formerly known as Chef Marc’s Italian Steakhouse, and Ott now occupies Chef Marc (Sgrizzi)’s job as the hotel’s executive chef.

LAS VEGAS — Breanna Stewart doesn’t know where her Commissioner’s Cup MVP trophy is from 2021. Stewart’s trophy case — which includes four NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player awards, one WNBA MVP, two WNBA Finals MVPs and two Olympic gold medals, just to name a few — is more extensive than most. This particular piece of memorabilia has fallen through the cracks.

It’s fair to say that Jonquel Jones will be holding on to her prize a bit more tightly.

Jones, who quarterbacked the New York Liberty’s defensive effort and owned the paint with 16 points and 15 rebounds, was named the Commissioner’s Cup MVP after New York’s 82-63 win over the Las Vegas Aces to earn the mid-season tournament crown. The Liberty center seemed shocked in the moment to have captured the honor. She said postgame it was because she didn’t know how many rebounds she had since the arena scoreboard doesn’t track that statistic, but she vowed to take good care of her new hardware.

“It’s engraved this time, so I’ll find a good spot for it,” said Jones, already donning goggles during her postgame presser in preparation for the celebration. “But (I’m) just happy to win for the city, for this team, and for us to be able to move in the right direction.”

Initial thoughts on Liberty/Aces Vol. 3 as New York captures the Commissioner’s Cup title. More to come at @TheAthleticWBB. https://t.co/1ZVz9B0por

— Sabreena Merchant (@sabreenajm) August 16, 2023

Jones came to New York chasing team success. She’d won individual accolades with the Connecticut Sun, including an MVP award in 2021, but they continually came up short in their quest to capture titles, including losing that 2021 Cup final to Seattle and falling in the 2022 WNBA Finals to the Aces.

That’s why the opportunity to compete for a title meant so much to the Liberty on Tuesday, even if it came in the form of a midseason tournament rather than a league championship. New York has never captured a team title despite being one of the WNBA’s original franchises. The goal of bringing in Stewart, Jones and Courtney Vandersloot during free agency was to put the Liberty in a position to contend, and this was their first chance to validate their offseason plan.

Coach Sandy Brondello said she expected the atmosphere to resemble a finals game. Stewart and Jones talked about the bragging rights at stake, the money on the line for both the players and their charities, and the potential for the game to serve as a benchmark for the Liberty as they work towards their end goal.

“To bring a piece of hardware to New York would continue to show our fans, franchise, organization what success tastes like, and what we’re trying to reach and what we’re trying to do,” Stewart said pregame.

Stewart has known what winning feels like for a long time. Now, she’s able to share that experience with the Liberty, and the combination of her pedigree with the hunger of an organization — and players like Jones and Sabrina Ionescu — looking to hang a banner for the first time is formidable.

Jones and Stewart had two primary jobs against the Aces: to control the glass and to limit A’ja Wilson. The two of them combined for 22 rebounds, only six less than Las Vegas as a team, and forced Wilson into a 2-of-10 shooting night. Combined with last week’s regular-season beatdown, Wilson is now 4 of 24 in her last two games against New York.

The two was just as important as the 10 in that stat line. The Aces couldn’t get the ball to Wilson in the paint, as she was consistently swarmed by the long arms and relentless activity of Jones and Stewart. As the game got out of hand for Las Vegas, the reigning MVP attempted four shots in the second half with no free throws and collected only one rebound, failing to meaningfully impact the game.

On the other end, Jones commanded extra attention at the rim and got better at passing out of doubles as the game went on. Her ability to generate extra possessions with offensive rebounds and Stewart’s screening on the perimeter opened up jump shots for their Liberty teammates, who cashed in on the opportunities.

Marine Johannès was the MVP of the first half, draining four 3-pointers while the rest of her team couldn’t buy a bucket. Her second-unit teammate Kayla Thornton picked up the slack in the third quarter, knocking down two consecutive triples on second-chance opportunities to give New York an eight-point lead heading into the fourth. A bench player who scored from long range after an offensive rebound was the perfect encapsulation Tuesday of where the Liberty had the advantage on the Aces.

“As we built this team out, we said our strength will be our bench, that we can go deep,” Brondello said. “Marine was fantastic. I love it when she’s being aggressive and just having fun out there. And KT, she’s just a defensive anchor for us and made some really big 3s. And those little things help because they rely on so much of their starters and we can go to the bench, and they can come in and give us great energy at both ends of the floor.”

That energy was a separator, but the real difference came from New York’s frontcourt playing like all-stars and their counterparts on Las Vegas failing to match that level. When the Aces tried to get the offense going toward the paint, Jones and Stewart were there to meet them. When the Liberty struggled to generate good looks in the half court, Jones bailed them out with another chance.

Brondello and several Liberty players credited Jones with New York’s overall improvement since the All-Star Break. As she has settled into the Liberty’s system and become the double-double machine they envisioned when trading for her, the Liberty have started to resemble the super-team they were projected to be during the preseason.

GO DEEPER

Jonquel Jones has found her footing, helping the Liberty make a vital run

“As far as winning, I feel like that’s why you play, you know you play to win,” Stewart said. “The fact that we’re able to bring some hardware home to New York is huge. And this is why we all came here. We came here to win games, we came here to contend for a WNBA championship. And one of our goals was to win the Commissioner’s Cup, and we did that.”

As a result, Jones has some new hardware to match that of her frontcourt partner, and the Liberty have a taste of what they’ll be searching for at the end of the season.

(Photo of Jonquel Jones: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)

The New York Liberty took down the Las Vegas Aces 82-63 in the WNBA’s third annual Commissioner’s Cup at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Liberty flex their bench advantage

The Aces overwhelm most teams with the strength of their starting lineup, which boasts four multi-time All-Stars. However, the Liberty can match that firepower in their first five, and they had the edge on Las Vegas by being able to bring meaningful offensive production off the bench.

While Alysha Clark and Kierstan Bell combined for four points for the Aces, New York got 25 points out of Johannes and Kayla Thornton, including a pair of Thornton 3-pointers at the end of the third quarter that pushed the lead to eight. The Aces never got closer than that for the rest of the game. — Merchant

Aces still can’t score on the Liberty

After putting together a ghastly 17-point second half in Brooklyn when the two teams met last week, Las Vegas had three more quarters of 15 or fewer points in the Commissioner’s Cup final. New York’s switching kept the Aces out of the paint, and the home team couldn’t make the Liberty pay with jumpers, finishing 5-of-26 from distance.

The saving grace for Las Vegas in the first half was an ability to get to the line, but New York stayed disciplined in the second, limiting the Aces to only two free-throw attempts after the break. — Merchant

GO DEEPER

Are Aces suddenly dealing with doubt after loss to Liberty in Commissioner's Cup?

Las Vegas needs Candace Parker back

The Aces were a deserving champion last season, but the addition that pushed them over the edge, the player who made them a “super team,” was Candace Parker, a two-time MVP who raised their offensive and defensive ceilings to new heights.

Without Parker in the lineup, the Aces seem to playing 4-on-5 on offense for long stretches and have seen significant slippage on the glass. New York outrebounded Las Vegas 49-28 after doubling up the Aces in the team’s previous meeting. — Merchant

What does the winning team receive?

Liberty players get $30,000 each while Aces players get $10,000 apiece. The WNBA will also donate $10,000 to the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, the Liberty’s chosen non-profit. The Aces’ chosen organization, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, will receive $5,000.

Backstory

The in-season competition included 60 regular-season games featuring all 12 teams to determine which two would meet in the championship game. New York was the top contender out of the Eastern Conference, going 7-3 in its Cup-designated games. Las Vegas finished 9-1 in its designated games to come out of the Western Conference.

Vegas defeated the Chicago Sky 93-83 to take the Cup last season.

Required reading

(Photo: David Becker / NBAE via Getty Images)