Intermountain Foundation Announces Bill and Wendy Hornbuckle to Chair Historic Campaign for Nevada Children’s Health Services and Hospital

(PRUnderground) October 28th, 2025

Intermountain Foundation recently announced Bill and Wendy Hornbuckle as leaders for the Nevada Campaign for Kids, the most ambitious philanthropic effort ever undertaken to launch comprehensive children’s health services in Nevada which includes plans to build the state’s first stand-alone children’s hospital.

Bill Hornbuckle, chief executive officer and president of MGM Resorts International, and his wife, Wendy Hornbuckle, have graciously agreed to co-chair the emerging campaign, an historic initiative offering hope, healing, and care designed specifically for kids.

The Hornbuckles have made a lasting mark on the community through their combined and individual efforts. Wendy brings a deep passion for community well-being through her many years of community leadership. Bill began his career in Las Vegas as a room service attendant and busboy, and now is at the helm of Nevada’s largest employer. Together, they have dedicated their lives to strengthening Nevada through leadership and philanthropy.

“We are honored to have Bill and Wendy Hornbuckle leading this campaign,” said Rob Allen, president and chief executive officer of Intermountain Health. “Their commitment to Nevada’s children will inspire others to join us in this bold vision to build a model health system and healthier future for every child in Nevada. We want every child to have that chance.”

“As parents and proud Nevadans, we know there’s nothing more important than a child’s health, and we are inspired by Intermountain’s vision to create a place of healing and hope for children and their families,” Wendy Hornbuckle said. “We need to go to work on keeping the 29,000 children who leave the state each year for healthcare here at home.”

“We’re proud to support Intermountain Health’s vision for healthy children in Nevada, and to help rally our community around this vital cause,” Bill Hornbuckle added. “Like the health of our children, this campaign is bigger than one organization; it’s an investment in Nevada’s families, our friends and neighbors, our future workforce, families, and economic development. It will change lives, and it takes a community to do it.”

Nevada ranks 48th in the nation for pediatricians per capita, and Las Vegas is the largest metro area in the country without a freestanding children’s hospital. Nearly 30,000 children each year travel outside Nevada for comprehensive specialty care, often leaving families to shoulder costs of transportation, lodging, and lost wages to get their child the treatment they need.

“Nevada elected officials, the healthcare community, and local leaders have been aware for many years of the need to bring a comprehensive children’s hospital to Las Vegas and improve health for children overall,” said Mitch Cloward, Intermountain Health region president. “We are grateful to collaborate with pediatricians, caregivers, and local organizations that have served Nevada children with dedication for decades, and are appreciative of their support of Intermountain’s plans to work together to meet the need of children and families.”

The emerging Nevada Campaign for Kids seeks to deliver nationally recognized clinical care, build the state’s first stand-alone, comprehensive children’s hospital, attract top medical talent to Nevada, and create meaningful community programs and partnerships that will improve lives for generations to come.

“Intermountain Health is no stranger to ambition on a grand scale. While no campaign goal has been set yet, this once-in-a-generation endeavor to bring a model health system to the children of Nevada is anticipated to eclipse $1 billion,” said David Flood, president of Intermountain Foundation and chief development officer of Intermountain Health.

“This is a bold, rare opportunity to impact every child and family of every background and circumstance, throughout the state and beyond,” Flood added. “It is a transformative opportunity to have one’s finite philanthropic dollar help everyone. With the Hornbuckles’ trusted leadership and guidance, we will make transformative healthcare possible and accessible to every child in Nevada. Together, we will make history while impacting generations.”

In October 2024, Intermountain Health first announced its plans to build Nevada’s first standalone children’s hospital, which will be located at UNLV’s Harry Reid Research and Technology Park.

In January, the firms Shepley Bulfinch and Gensler were announced as architects for the project and subsequently began design work. This past July, the PENTA Building Group and Jacobsen Construction were named the contractors for the children’s hospital.

Groundbreaking is expected in 2026, with the hospital projected to open by 2030.

A comprehensive children’s hospital in Las Vegas would help 11-year-old Benji and his family to get the specialized, comprehensive care he needs in their hometown.

Called “Super Benji” for his grit and positivity, the young sports enthusiast and music lover has needed complex, comprehensive medical care since he was nine months old, and traveled more than 5,400 miles in three states to get it.

Diagnosed with brain cancer as a baby, he endured a five-and-a-half-hour surgery, three stem cell transplants, and more than 400 days in a hospital — all in different locations.

At age 5, he faced a second, unrelated cancer—a malignant thyroid tumor. Then, in April of this year, he was diagnosed with bone cancer. While he receives chemotherapy in Las Vegas, he must travel to Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City for specialized care in endocrinology, audiology, and genetics.

“The first time we went to Salt Lake, we got more done in 72 hours than we could have in six months,” said his mom, Azalea. “It was a dream to have everything in one place.”

In a few weeks, Benji will ring the bell celebrating the end of cancer treatments once more. But for the next two years, he’ll travel to Salt Lake every three months for comprehensive follow-up care.

The Campaign for Kids will help make sure that soon, Benji and others like him won’t have to.

“We want every child in our community to thrive and live their healthiest life, and that starts with access to the right care and at the right time,” said Mandy Richards, RN, chief nursing executive for Intermountain Health and president of Intermountain Children’s Health. “This is not only our commitment, but also our responsibility to make this possible for children across Nevada and every state we serve.”

The public is invited to follow Intermountain Health’s journey to transform children’s health at connect.intermountainhealth.org/childrens-health-nevada.

NOTE TO MEDIA: Additional images and video available upon request.

About Intermountain Health

Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a nonprofit system of 33 hospitals, over 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://news.intermountainhealth.org/.

The post Bill and Wendy Hornbuckle to Chair Intermountain Health’s Children’s Campaign in Nevada first appeared on

Original Press Release.