Intermountain Health announced the gift Friday, Oct. 23, saying the hospital will be named the Intermountain Health Felicia and Ben Horowitz Children’s Hospital. The organization says the pledge is among the largest publicly announced donations ever made to a U.S. children’s hospital.

The Horowitzes’ gift comes as Intermountain works to address a shortage of specialized pediatric care in Nevada. The state ranks 48th in pediatricians per capita, and nearly 30,000 Nevada families travel out of state each year to obtain care for their children, according to figures cited by Intermountain. Las Vegas is the nation’s largest metropolitan area without a stand-alone children’s hospital.

Ben Horowitz said the couple’s decision was shaped by their child’s experience receiving lifesaving care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford about three decades ago. After moving to Southern Nevada roughly five years ago, he said, Felicia was surprised the region lacked a specialized children’s hospital.

“I don’t want anyone in Las Vegas to lose a child because we don’t have the right health care,” Ben Horowitz said.

Intermountain said the donation will help create a child-centered environment, bring pediatric specialists to the region and expand access to specialized services. Felicia Horowitz used her remarks at the future hospital site to thank local health care workers and other community workers, calling the health care workforce “the heartbeat of the state.”

The project is expected to cost more than $1 billion. Intermountain has pledged to cover two-thirds of the cost, and the hospital’s inpatient tower is scheduled to open in 2030 with 180 beds and room to expand to 228.

The Horowitzes’ contribution follows other major gifts. Larry and Heidi Canarelli pledged $50 million earlier in October. In August, the Las Vegas Raiders and three team co-owners committed a combined $25 million, and singer Bruno Mars donated $1 million in April.

Clark County commissioners unanimously approved development and use permits for the project, including a heliport, in May. Intermountain estimates the hospital will create about 1,300 jobs and generate roughly $800 million a year in economic impact for the county.

Ben Horowitz co-founded venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Felicia Horowitz leads the Horowitz Family Foundation and is involved with several Las Vegas organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, the University Medical Center Foundation and the Las Vegas Raiders Foundation.