Incline Village Community Hospital Foundation Receives $7.8 Million Grant from the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation for Surgery Enhancement Project

(Tahoe/Truckee, Calif.) –The Incline Village Community Hospital (IVCH) Foundation is excited to announce the receipt of a $7.8 million grant from the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation to fund the IVCH Surgery Enhancement Project, a major initiative to improve access to high-quality surgical care in the region. 

The grant – the largest in the IVCH Foundation’s history – will allow the hospital to expand and modernize its surgical suite, improving patient care and ensuring the hospital remains at the forefront of rural healthcare excellence.

The existing IVCH surgery space, originally built in the 1980s and designed to meet the needs of a smaller patient population, has faced growing challenges in accommodating the increasing demand for services. The planned enhancements will not only improve surgical efficiency and capacity but also create a more comfortable and modernized environment for patients and staff. Expanding the surgical suite will allow for a broader range of procedures to be performed locally, reducing the need for residents to travel long distances for specialized care, which can be especially dangerous in winter months.

The grant will allow for the construction of a new surgical procedure room, increasing the existing capacity for all current procedures, including ophthalmology, orthopedics, and gastrointestinal surgery. It will also allow IVCH to optimize existing space and explore the possibility of offering new services.

Other key features of the Surgery Enhancement Project include:

• Upgraded air handling systems to ensure compliance with modern surgical standards
• Capacity for future technology upgrades such as telemedicine and enhanced security
• Asbestos abatement, new flooring throughout the surgical spaces, and updated fixtures
• Modernization of post-operative recovery areas
• Expanded registration area to improve patient flow and overall experience

Grant funding is made possible by the generosity of the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation, a private charitable foundation based in Incline Village, Nevada. In recognition of the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation’s generosity, IVCH will name the enhanced surgical suite in their honor.

“Having top-tier healthcare in Incline Village is very important to the Duffields,” said Chris Watts, co-president of the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation. “They are appreciative of the services and care the hospital offers local residents and are pleased to help update and expand the hospital’s surgical capacity.”

Additionally, the IVCH Foundation Board of Directors has committed to raising an additional $2 million to help purchase the equipment necessary to support expanded service offerings at the new Dave & Cheryl Duffield Surgery Center. This commitment ensures the project can fully meet the evolving needs of Incline Village and neighboring North Lake Tahoe communities.

“We are extremely grateful to be awarded this grant from the Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation,” said Louis Ward, Interim CEO of Tahoe Forest Health System. “This funding will have an incredible impact on the level of care we can provide at IVCH, allowing us to take another step forward in our mission to provide the best rural health care in the country.”

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About Tahoe Forest Health System

Tahoe Forest Health System, which includes Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee, CA, and Incline Village Community Hospital in Incline Village, NV, offers 24-hour emergency care, a Level III trauma center, three urgent care clinics, and primary and specialty care clinics throughout Truckee and North Lake Tahoe, including Tahoe Forest Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, the Gene Upshaw Memorial Tahoe Forest Cancer Center, and the Joseph Family Center for Women and Newborn Care. With a strong focus on high-quality patient care, community collaboration, clinical excellence, and technical innovation, Tahoe Forest Health System strives to be the health system of choice in our region and the best mountain health system in the nation. For a complete list of physician specialties and services, visit www.tfhd.com.

About The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation

The Dave & Cheryl Duffield Foundation (DCDF), founded in 2016, continues the Duffield family’s commitment to making bold impacts. DCDF focuses on support for Veterans with disabilities, companion animal well-being, and organizations in which our founders have personal connections. The Foundation’s capstone program is Liberty Dogs™, a new Service Dog campus based in Reno, Nevada. Liberty Dogs will train Service Dogs to support Veterans with disabilities. Veterans will spend two weeks, on site, training with their Liberty Service Dogs™ and leave with their new companions and the ability to lead more independent and fulfilling lives. Based in Incline Village, Nevada, DCDF is the Duffield family’s vision for funding transformational services and programs.