Medicaid

In response to Gov. Sisolak’s March 12 Emergency Declaration, the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, the state agency that connects Nevadans to qualified health plans through the online State Based Exchange, known as Nevada Health Link, announces a limited-time Exceptional Circumstance Special Enrollment Period for qualified Nevadans who missed the Open Enrollment Period.

CARSON CITY — Due to ongoing public health concerns over the spread of COVID-19, the Nevada Division of Welfare and Supportive Services offices are closed to the public Monday, March 16, 2020. Offices will re-open Tuesday, March 17.

CARSON CITY — As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to have an impact on the country and our local communities, the safety, health and welfare of all Nevadans is a top priority.

Despite growing concerns about the public health situation, the census is easier than ever for Nevadans to complete through one of three safe, confidential and quick ways from the comfort of their own homes: online at census.nv.gov, via phone (844-330-2020; for Spanish 844-468-2020), or mail in the hard copy questionnaire. This helps keep everyone safe — residents and census workers alike.

Gov. Steve Sisolak said that while a testing kit shortage makes it impossible to tell how much coronavirus has affected Nevada, the pace of the virus’ spread around the world means Nevada must “act quickly” to slow it — including taking drastic measures such as shutting state offices, limiting the size of gatherings and encouraging employees to work from home if possible.

Life Change Center has helped nearly 700 Carson City and rural residents combat opioid drug addiction during its three years in the capital city, and they’ve been so successful they’re now going to be opening their third location in Reno.

Nevada Health Centers’ Mammovan will offer mammography screenings in Gardnerville, Dayton, Reno and Carson City through the end of the month.

The Nevada Health Centers’ Mammovan will stop in Carson City this Thursday and will be in Sparks on Friday.

CARSON CITY — Improving student health and reducing student absenteeism are just two of the goals of Nevada Health Centers as they bring telehealth services to schools.

Heading into Wednesday, Oct. 2 events lined up include Coffee with a Cop at Comma Coffee, Walk and Bike to School Day, a public meeting to discuss stormwater rates, art workshops and showings, a Bee City USA meeting at Greenhouse Garden Center, the first gathering of Women Seeking Safety classes at the Salvation Army, family story time at the library, presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren at the Carson City MAC, Salsa dancing and more.

CARSON CITY — Nevada health officials will use a federal grant recently awarded to the state’s Medicaid program to grow Substance Use Disorder services.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile, which provides oral healthcare to children in northern Nevada, will make stops at schools in Carson Valley and Carson City, Oct. 1-3. Run through the Nevada Health Centers, staff aboard the Ronald McDonald mobile center focuses on treatment, education, prevention and advocacy to children.

CARSON CITY — In light of a recent report released by the Guinn Center for Policy Priorities surrounding Nevada's uninsured populations, the State of Nevada and the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange, Nevada’s state agency that helps connect individuals to budget-appropriate health coverage through the online marketplace, Nevada Health Link, remind Nevadans of the importance of having health insurance and encourages them to explore insurance coverage available to them through Nevada Health Link.

Nevada Health Centers’ Mammovan will make stops in Reno and Carson City this week. Mammography screenings are primarily for women age 40 and older; however, screenings will be provided to those younger than 40 that have a screening referral from a provider.

Editor’s Note: This week's guest writer is Kelly K. Edmundson, MA, MFT, LCADC(P). Kelly is the Lead Safe School Professional School Mental Health Worker III at Carson High School.
Carson High School will again open its doors a little wider and longer for the 3rd Annual Back-to-School Night like no other Sept. 9. Open House, Open Hearts is a community event focused on building bridges to local services for teens and their families, increasing parent and guardian engagement at CHS, and celebrating the community, creativity, and diverse talents of Carson City.

On July 25, Joe Tummarello, a long-term client with Carson City-based sober-living facility Lyfe Recovery, passed away at Carson Tahoe Hospital. By all accounts, a month before his death he had been in fine health for a man of 76. He dealt with COPD and needed an oxygen tank to breathe in the high altitude of northern Nevada, but a check-up with his doctors during May of 2019 showed he was nowhere near the brink of death.

However, after being relocated to Carson City from Lyfe Recovery’s Reno facility, Joe’s medication was withheld and he was denied medical intervention after a rapid deterioration of his health, which ultimately, it is alleged, led to his death.

United Cerebral Palsy of Nevada has notified the state that it can no longer afford to offer day-habilitation services for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities in the Carson City and Gardnerville areas.

A 41-year-old man was arrested Wednesday for felony suspicion of unlawful use of a Social Security number after the victim was informed it was already being used, a Carson City sheriff's deputy said.

The Nevada Department of Corrections announced it was a sub-recipient of $326,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice’s ‘Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners Program” for Fiscal Year 2019.

CARSON CITY — Suzanne Bierman, administrator of the Nevada Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, has been announced as one of six state-level directors chosen to participate in the Medicaid Leadership Institute, a national initiative directed by the Center for Health Care Strategies and made possible by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services on Thursday sent out an advisory warning Nevadans to be aware of a telephone scam targeting Medicaid recipients.

The featured speaker at Monday's Democratic luncheon will be Sandy Severance, program director at Nevada Rural Counties Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP). A 501(c)(3) non-profit, RSVP has a 43-year record of service to the elderly and other citizens in need of assistance in all 15 of Nevada's rural counties. Volunteers 55 and older are provided meaningful opportunities to draw on their lifetime of experience to serve their communities in a variety of settings.

Prescription drug costs have skyrocketed at an alarming rate, rising faster than other goods and services in the U.S. since 2014. The increase in prices has left consumers with higher health care costs forcing them to make difficult decisions regarding their health. It has specifically hurt some of our most vulnerable populations – including our older generations on fixed incomes. This is especially concerning in my district, Assembly District 22, given its large aging population.

CARSON CITY — According to the National Breast Cancer Foundation, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Early detection is key in the fight against breast cancer, so access to screenings is critically important.

Nevada Urban Indians is set to open a clinic in Carson City on Winnie Lane in the beginning of June, which will be offering substance abuse treatment programs, suicide prevention treatment, medicinal clinic days, and more.

The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile operated through Nevada Health Centers will be making stops in Carson City and Silver Springs this month to provide oral healthcare to children.

Banner Churchill Community Hospital was one of only four hospitals in Nevada to earn a 4-star rating in quality and safety from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as part of the federal agency’s annual performance report.

The CMS’s hospital star rating provides patients with the important information they need to compare hospitals and make informed decisions about care. The 4-star rating for Banner Churchill was based on 100 rigorously tested measurements in quality and safety, such as patient experience, timeliness and effectiveness of care, complication rates and other factors.

CARSON CITY — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center has achieved a 4-star rating for an acute care hospital, out-ranking the national average of 3-stars.

The 2019 Legislative Session is in full-swing, and during week 3 we’ll see numerous, important bills, budget considerations and presentations in committees and around the legislative campus in Carson City.

A perennial measure to implement an automated system of traffic enforcement at select intersections will be heard this week. Lawmakers will hear a measure regarding collective bargaining, the New Nevada Education Funding Plan, Medicaid coverage for donor breast milk, cannabis drug screening for employment, sexual assault screening, a Working Families rally and lobbying day on Monday and much more.

Nevada Health Centers will offer oral healthcare to school children in Carson City on Wednesday and Thursday through the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile.

This is the second in a series of columns summarizing my Controller’s Annual Report (CAR) for fiscal year 2018 (FY18). Based on the state’s official books and records, the CAR provides Nevada citizens, officials and others summaries of key facts, data, analysis and issues addressing Nevada’s fiscal condition and policy challenges.