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Northern Nevada sees spikes in Covid-19 hospitalizations as feds end free vaccines
Across the country, there’s been an increase in Covid-19 hospital admissions, emergency department visits, and positive tests as the virus enters its fourth season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The newest Omicron subvariant, EG.5, accounts for 17.5% of all new cases nationally, more than doubling in less than a month, […]
Paperwork, technicalities lead to thousands of Medicaid denials for potentially eligible Nevadans
New data suggests that 80% of people who have been disenrolled from Nevada Medicaid following covid pandemic era expansion lost benefits for procedural causes – like outdated contact information, not understanding the paperwork, or not completing documents in a specific time frame. That’s higher than the national average, according to KFF, which compiled the data. […]
HHS Secretary Becerra: Nevada ‘still the wild wild west’ of health care policy
Nevada’s well-documented health care shortages are a source of frustration for many, but U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra believes it also presents opportunities. “Nevada’s growing, Nevada is new, and Nevada is seeing the challenges of being new – of not being the go-to place for somebody wanting to be a […]
Nevada HIV task force disbands, but members vow to continue work
A task force designed to modernize Nevada’s HIV laws has dissolved after three years. The Advisory Task Force on HIV Exposure Modernization was formed by the Nevada Legislature in 2019, during the Sisolak administration, and renewed during the 2021 session. Stephan Page, co-chair of the task force, said members decided not to ask the 2023 […]
Friday Health Plans of Nevada coverage ends August 31
Thousands of Nevadans who got their health insurance through Friday Health Plans of Nevada have until midnight on Aug. 31 to find a new policy. This comes after a Nevada court ordered the liquidation of the company by Sept. 1. Several states, including Nevada, placed the insurance company under receivership, a court proceeding similar to […]
Amid America’s culture war, Washoe County School District approves new sex-ed curriculum
The Washoe County School Board in a 5-2 vote passed an updated sexual education curriculum, but not before drawing criticism from conservatives taking issue with the inclusive and medically accurate language. Trustees Jeff Church and Colleen Westlake voted against the curriculum, citing issues with lessons that use the phrases “boys and people with a penis” […]
Expanding telehealth still a priority for Nevada, even post-pandemic
As the pandemic era wanes, Nevadans are pushing to keep the telehealth expansions permanent at the state and national levels. U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) last week introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Telehealth and Education for Rural Communities Act, which would reauthorize a pandemic-era grant program that provides funding to tribal and […]
Feds approve RSV shot after a rough season
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week approved the first Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) drug, Beyfortus (nirsevimab-alip), for all infants and children up to 2 years old after a particularly rough RSV season in the nation and Nevada. Surveillance for RSV showed “unusually high” incidences in Nevada this past season compared to the […]
Huntridge clinic reopens on a smaller scale
The Huntridge Family Clinic, the largest LGBTQ+-centered medical clinic in Southern Nevada, reopens Monday, July 17 after it announced its temporary closure earlier this Spring when the clinic shuttered its doors after a decade because of increased staffing costs. “For 10 years we’ve had a history of providing low barrier care and trying to make […]
A year after behavioral health system’s launch, NV and the nation struggle with implementation
Note: The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. Nevadans can reach services by calling, texting, or chatting online. To find mental and behavioral health services in Nevada, visit:behavioralhealthvn.org Last year, the national suicide lifeline shortened its number to three digits: 988, and along with that change launched a nationwide effort to create a comprehensive 24-hour, […]
Rural Nevada seeks more foster parents amid shortage
Over the last 5 years, the total number of licensed foster homes in Nevada has decreased by 42%, from 2054 in 2018 to 1,184 in 2022, according to data from the Who Cares project which tracks the number of foster homes nationwide. But while the number of licensed foster homes has decreased dramatically, the number […]
Nevadans urged to stay covered as pandemic emergency Medicaid winds down
Some Nevadans have started to lose Medicaid benefits with the end of a pandemic era expansion of coverage, and state agencies are trying to renew coverage for those who are eligible, or enroll those who aren’t in the state health insurance exchange. Last week officials with Nevada Health Link, the state’s public health care marketplace, […]