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Nevada 988 hotline in-state answer rates among nation’s lowest
Despite being one of only five states that passed legislation to fund the 988 National Suicide Prevention programming, Nevada had one of the nation’s lowest percentages of calls answered within state borders, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report that compared answer rates nationally. Only Texas, Alabama, South Carolina and Florida had lower in-state answer […]
A pair of measures aim to tackle state’s behavioral health provider shortage
All of Nevada’s counties are federally designated mental health provider shortage areas. The state ranks last in the nation for mental health metrics like access to care and high prevalence of mental illness. And it ranks second in the Mountain West region with the lowest mental health workforce availability, with only one professional to every […]
Domestic violence survivors’ most urgent priority is housing, report says
Housing is the most common unmet need for domestic violence survivors in Nevada, according to the recently released National Network to End Domestic Violence’s (NNEDV) 17th Annual Domestic Violence Counts report. The Nevada annual report is based on 571 people who sought domestic violence services in a 24-hour period on Sept. 7, 2022, including the […]
Secretary of State warns Nevadans against tax filing frauds
Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar reminds Nevadans to be on the lookout for unregistered tax preparers this tax season. “Some of our most vulnerable communities are falling for fraudsters who say they have registered tax preparers and take advantage of those who may not know the signs to look for,” Aguilar said in a press […]
Measure aims to assure STI treatment, contraception for minors without parental consent
For more than half a century, it has been legal in Nevada for minors to receive treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) without parental consent through a federal family planning program called Title X. Amid curtailed Title X funding, several state public health providers lost access to the funding and Title X authorization, and now […]
Industry opposes measure to fund housing for people with mental health conditions, disabilities
The presentation on a Nevada Senate bill that would increase the real property transfer tax by 20 cents for every $500 of value to build affordable housing for Nevadans with mental health conditions, disabilities, and who are lower income lasted 20 minutes at the Senate Committee on Revenue and Economic Development hearing on March 7. […]
Nevada AG joins FTC in encouraging children, families to learn screen time safety
The Nevada Attorney General’s office and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are joining forces during National Consumer Protection week to remind people that too much screen time isn’t good for you. Excessive use of screen time has been linked to body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, and unhealthy sleep habits. Unsafe practices online also put children and […]
Lawmaker, providers agree reform would ease access to care, but ‘it’s not going to pass in Nevada’
State Sen. Roberta Lange (D-Las Vegas) tested the waters for a bill that would address Nevada’s ongoing health care provider shortage by mandating that insurance companies accept a provider who meets their qualifications and applies to be in their network. It’s known as an “Any Willing Provider” law, but Lange abandoned it in favor of […]
Assembly bill aims to strengthen advocacy for domestic violence victims
The Nevada Assembly Judiciary Committee Thursday heard testimony on a bill that would standardize training that victim advocates for domestic and sexual violence would receive in the first step to help professionalize the role. One in three women and one in four men will experience physical violence in their lives and one in five women […]
Legislative panel hears testimony on codifying protections for abortion
A hearing on a new bill to codify former Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolok’s protections for abortion providers and out-of-state patients was marked by passionate opposition from anti-abortion rights activists, many making statements that were far afield of the bill’s scope. Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, who introduced Senate Bill 131 earlier this month, presented the […]
Language, cultural barriers pose a challenge for Nevada’s 988 system
Nevada’s Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) population has been one the fastest growing in Nevada for decades and stands at roughly 380,000, nearly 12% of the state’s population. But there is no language or cultural competency training specific to the AAPI community in Nevada’s rollout of 988, the national hotline for mental health established […]
Assembly Democrats, Culinary propose funding mental health with a lottery
Nevada Assembly Democrats announced Thursday that Assemblyman Cameron C.H. Miller is proposing a state constitutional amendment to establish a lottery to pay for youth mental health services. “The last few years have shown us how critical mental health care is and that our current infrastructure is woefully inadequate,” said Miller, the Assembly assistant majority floor […]