As ‘match day' nears, med schools, lawmakers want to expand residencies to keep doctors in Nevada
Natalie Osborn, a fourth-year student at Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine who is working toward a career as a pediatrician, wants to stay in Nevada. A Coronado High School graduate who went to UNLV, Osborn isn't alone, but opportunities in Nevada are limited on match day.
'Instead of hoping that our students come back to practice in Nevada, I would love to see more opportunities for students to train where their roots are so we can give back to the community that grew us,' Osborn said Thursday, one of several medical students on hand to testify in support of legislation that would allocate $9 million over the next two years toward grants under the Graduate Medical Education Advisory Council, which was created in 2023.
Fellowships and residencies are expensive training programs, but they are a key part of keeping doctors in Nevada.
Mark Kahn, dean at UNLV's Kirk Kerkorian Medical School said there is a significant shortage right now.
2024: Las Vegas medical students 'matched' with residency programs
More details came from Jeffrey Murawsky, chief medical officer for HCA's Far West Division, which includes Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, Sunrise Children's Hospital, MountainView Hospital and Southern Hills Hospital.
'As was mentioned, we are at the bottom of the physician ranking. It would take 1,589 new doctors with none of us retiring to get to just average for access. The best way to close this gap, as Dean Kahn mentioned, is to grow our own,' Murawsky said.
Senate Bill 262 (SB262) has wide support among Democrats with 10 primary sponsors led by Sen. Julie Pazina. Another 25 lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly have signed on as co-sponsors.
Kahn told senators on the Health and Human Services Committee that increasing the number of doctors comes with a choice: import more or grow your own. And residencies have proven to be an effective way to keep medical students from leaving. Kahn said about 40% of Nevada's med school graduates practice here, and about 60% of residents remain rather than leaving for another state. 'But if you do both, it goes to about 80%,' Kahn said.
Jacob Lamay, a UNR medical student, said, 'The reality is that without a surgery residency program here, my path and the paths of many aspiring surgeons like me, will lead us out of state. This summer and fall I will be traveling to different states to showcase my skills as a fourth-year medical student to hospitals that train doctors in my surgical field of choice. I hope that they choose me when I apply for residency this September but I would have preferred to stay here in Nevada if this were possible.'
Kelsie Little, a gold miner's daughter from Elko and now a fourth-year medical student at Touro, is another example. 'Hopefully, matching next week. Nevada is my number one.'
Without a residency here, the opportunities are out of state. 'I would like to be a physician for the community that served me, but I may not have the chance to,' she said.
SB262 realigns the committee that would supervise the grants, moving it under the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services. Not much has happened since it was created two years ago, but lawmakers think that will change under DHHS.
Dr. Wolfgang Gilliar, dean at Touro University Nevada, believes that the program will need to grow significantly. 'We need to talk about $50 million,' he said. But for now, he acknowledged, 'With little, we can do a lot. With nothing, we can do nothing.'
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas' growing mosquito problem is 'a ticking time bomb'
LAS VEGAS — If at one time it was thought mosquitoes couldn't survive in desert climates, this city is a case study in how wrong that is. Mosquitoes typically prefer more tropical, humid conditions, but these biting machines have exploded in number throughout the Las Vegas Valley in recent years because of a host of changes. A mix of urban development, climate change, insecticide resistance and genetic adaptations are creating a more hospitable environment for the insects in southern Nevada. Las Vegas is hardly alone in its battle against the pesky insects. Warmer temperatures and shifting weather patterns are expanding the geographic range in which mosquitoes live and breed. In many ways, what's happening here is playing out across the desert Southwest and beyond. The mosquitoes have brought with them not only the nuisance of bug bites, but also the major threat of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus to Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County. It's also caught people off guard. 'People aren't wrong that mosquitoes shouldn't really thrive in desert conditions, but it's clear that the particular set of species that we do have in Clark County has adapted to the local ecology,' said Louisa Messenger, an assistant professor in the department of environmental and global health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 'A ticking time bomb' The species that have taken hold in Clark County include Culex mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus, and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary spreaders of dengue. What's more, Messenger and her colleagues at UNLV have found that mosquitoes in Las Vegas are becoming resistant to insecticides, a major public health risk in a city built on tourism. 'It is a little bit of a ticking time bomb,' Messenger said. She has for some time been concerned about how vulnerable Las Vegas is to mosquito-borne diseases. In particular, dengue has been surging in North America and South America, with more than 13 million cases recorded across the continents in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'In Vegas, we have more than 48 million visitors coming through our doors every year from all over the planet,' Messenger said. 'It just takes a couple of mosquito bites to start local transmission.' Last year, there were 26 reported cases of West Nile virus in humans in Las Vegas, according to the Southern Nevada Health District, trailing the city's largest outbreak of 43 cases in 2019. Yet, in 2024, scientists still found a record number of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus in and around the city, which suggests the risk of exposure was very concerning. This year, the public health department hasn't identified any human cases so far, even as mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in certain ZIP codes. Messenger said it's not well understood what specific factors fuel outbreaks in some years and not in others. 'We see these overlapping factors but they are quite difficult to tease it apart,' she said. 'All we can say for certain is that we have these bumper years and these zero years, and they are hard to predict.' The Southern Nevada Health District has been conducting mosquito surveillance in the region since 2004. Its meticulous records show which mosquito species are present across the Las Vegas Valley year after year and where these flying insects have tested positive for diseases. One of the most astonishing trends in the data was the explosive growth of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which were first identified in Las Vegas in 2017, said Vivek Raman, environmental health supervisor for the Southern Nevada Health District. The 'relentless biters' are spreading 'In 2017, this mosquito was found in just a few ZIP codes,' said Raman, who oversees the health district's mosquito surveillance program. 'A few years later, it was six ZIP codes. Then 12 ZIP codes, then maybe 20, and now it's in 48 different ZIP codes across the valley.' In addition to being able to spread dengue, these insects are a major nuisance. 'Aedes aegypti are very aggressive daytime-biting mosquitoes,' Raman said. 'They are just relentless biters.' Unlike Culex mosquitoes, which prefer breeding near larger sources of water such as untended swimming pools, culverts or detention basins, Aedes aegypti tend to breed in much shallower standing water. 'One of the reasons they are spreading so quickly is the mosquito can lay its eggs in small containers, like if rain fills a child's toy or tires or a wheelbarrow,' Raman said. 'All it takes is a couple inches of water.' Urban development in Las Vegas has also inadvertently spurred the spread of mosquitoes in the city. Golf courses, human-made lakes and other forms of artificial irrigation have all made this outpost in the Nevada desert a welcome home for mosquitoes, according to Messenger. Climate change is likely also a factor, and it's an active area of research for Messenger and other scientists. Warmer temperatures are expanding the range of geographies for mosquitoes around the world. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, which increases humidity and rain, both mosquito-friendly conditions. In Las Vegas, how the interplay between local environmental factors and changing climate trends is affecting mosquito populations is less well understood, but the implications are paramount. 'Las Vegas is kind of a case study for what climate change is going to look like in other parts of the world,' Messenger said. 'We're seeing record-breaking temperatures, we're becoming much more arid, precipitation is becoming much more aberrant and unpredictable. That's what large parts of the world are going to look like over the next 15 to 25 years.' What that means for mosquitoes in the city remains to be seen, but the problem so far shows no sign of slowing. The Southern Nevada Health District conducts public outreach on how to identify and protect against mosquito breeding sites in and around homes, and how to prevent mosquito bites. But, controlling the number of mosquitoes in the city — and thus controlling the public health risk — will require a coordinated effort from the local government, Messenger said. Currently, there isn't one in Las Vegas. 'You've got private pest companies that people can call for severe infestations, you have some work going on around wetlands, but what we don't have, which many other jurisdictions have, is a centralized, coordinated abatement,' Messenger said. That lack of coordination has resulted in mosquito populations building up resistance to insecticides, she added. A centralized effort could assess which chemicals are safe to use — particularly around humans — and monitor the performance of insecticides and pesticides to prevent mosquitoes from building up immunity. In the years ahead, Messenger said, prevention and control will be key to protecting the residents of Las Vegas and its many visitors from around the world. 'The bottom line is that this is entirely preventable,' she said. 'Nobody in southern Nevada, in Clark County, should be getting bit by mosquitoes and contracting any kind of virus.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
a day ago
- NBC News
Las Vegas' growing mosquito problem is 'a ticking time bomb'
LAS VEGAS — If at one time it was thought mosquitoes couldn't survive in desert climates, this city is a case study in how wrong that is. Mosquitoes typically prefer more tropical, humid conditions, but these biting machines have exploded in number throughout the Las Vegas Valley in recent years because of a host of changes. A mix of urban development, climate change, insecticide resistance and genetic adaptations are creating a more hospitable environment for the insects in southern Nevada. Las Vegas is hardly alone in its battle against the pesky insects. Warmer temperatures and shifting weather patterns are expanding the geographic range in which mosquitoes live and breed. In many ways, what's happening here is playing out across the desert Southwest, and beyond. The mosquitoes have brought with them not only the nuisance of bug bites, but also the major threat of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus to Las Vegas and the rest of Clark County. It's also caught people off guard. 'People aren't wrong that mosquitoes shouldn't really thrive in desert conditions, but it's clear that the particular set of species that we do have in Clark County has adapted to the local ecology,' said Louisa Messenger, an assistant professor in the department of environmental and global health at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 'A ticking time bomb' The species that have taken hold in Clark County include Culex mosquitoes, which can carry West Nile virus, and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the primary spreaders of dengue. What's more, Messenger and her colleagues at UNLV have found that mosquitoes in Las Vegas are becoming resistant to insecticides, a major public health risk in a city built on tourism. 'It is a little bit of a ticking time bomb,' Messenger said. She has for some time been concerned about how vulnerable Las Vegas is to mosquito-borne diseases. In particular, dengue has been surging in North America and South America, with more than 13 million cases recorded across the continents in 2024, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 'In Vegas, we have more than 48 million visitors coming through our doors every year from all over the planet,' Messenger said. 'It just takes a couple of mosquito bites to start local transmission.' Last year, there were 26 reported cases of West Nile virus in humans in Las Vegas, according to the Southern Nevada Health District, trailing the city's largest outbreak of 43 cases in 2019. Yet, in 2024, scientists still found a record number of mosquitoes that tested positive for the virus in and around the city, which suggests the risk of exposure was very concerning. This year, the public health department hasn't identified any human cases so far, even as mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus in certain ZIP codes. Messenger said it's not well understood what specific factors fuel outbreaks in some years and not in others. 'We see these overlapping factors but they are quite difficult to tease it apart,' she said. 'All we can say for certain is that we have these bumper years and these zero years, and they are hard to predict.' The Southern Nevada Health District has been conducting mosquito surveillance in the region since 2004. Its meticulous records show which mosquito species are present across the Las Vegas Valley year after year and where these flying insects have tested positive for diseases. One of the most astonishing trends in the data was the explosive growth of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which were first identified in Las Vegas in 2017, said Vivek Raman, environmental health supervisor for the Southern Nevada Health District. The 'relentless biters' are spreading 'In 2017, this mosquito was found in just a few ZIP codes,' said Raman, who oversees the health district's mosquito surveillance program. 'A few years later, it was six ZIP codes. Then 12 ZIP codes, then maybe 20, and now it's in 48 different ZIP codes across the valley.' In addition to being able to spread dengue, these insects are a major nuisance. 'Aedes aegypti are very aggressive daytime-biting mosquitoes,' Raman said. 'They are just relentless biters.' Unlike Culex mosquitoes, which prefer breeding near larger sources of water such as untended swimming pools, culverts or detention basins, Aedes aegypti tend to breed in much shallower standing water. 'One of the reasons they are spreading so quickly is the mosquito can lay its eggs in small containers, like if rain fills a child's toy or tires or a wheelbarrow,' Raman said. 'All it takes is a couple inches of water.' Urban development in Las Vegas has also inadvertently spurred the spread of mosquitoes in the city. Golf courses, human-made lakes and other forms of artificial irrigation have all made this outpost in the Nevada desert a welcome home for mosquitoes, according to Messenger. Climate change is likely also a factor, and it's an active area of research for Messenger and other scientists. Warmer temperatures are expanding the range of geographies for mosquitoes around the world. A warmer atmosphere can also hold more moisture, which increases humidity and rain, both mosquito-friendly conditions. In Las Vegas, how the interplay between local environmental factors and changing climate trends is affecting mosquito populations is less well understood, but the implications are paramount. 'Las Vegas is kind of a case study for what climate change is going to look like in other parts of the world,' Messenger said. 'We're seeing record-breaking temperatures, we're becoming much more arid, precipitation is becoming much more aberrant and unpredictable. That's what large parts of the world are going to look like over the next 15 to 25 years.' What that means for mosquitoes in the city remains to be seen, but the problem so far shows no sign of slowing. The Southern Nevada Health District conducts public outreach on how to identify and protect against mosquito breeding sites in and around homes, and how to prevent mosquito bites. But, controlling the number of mosquitoes in the city — and thus controlling the public health risk — will require a coordinated effort from the local government, Messenger said. Currently, there isn't one in Las Vegas. 'You've got private pest companies that people can call for severe infestations, you have some work going on around wetlands, but what we don't have, which many other jurisdictions have, is a centralized, coordinated abatement,' Messenger said. That lack of coordination has resulted in mosquito populations building up resistance to insecticides, she added. A centralized effort could assess which chemicals are safe to use — particularly around humans — and monitor the performance of insecticides and pesticides to prevent mosquitoes from building up immunity. In the years ahead, Messenger said, prevention and control will be key to protecting the residents of Las Vegas and its many visitors from around the world. 'The bottom line is that this is entirely preventable,' she said. 'Nobody in southern Nevada, in Clark County, should be getting bit by mosquitoes and contracting any kind of virus.'
Politico
4 days ago
- Politico
From air surgeon to congressional candidate
Good morning and welcome to Thursday. State air surgeon DARREN MCAULEY helped coordinate the medical response in Tampa Bay last year as hurricanes barreled toward the area. Now he's running for office for the first time, vying to challenge incumbent GOP Rep. LAUREL LEE. McAuley, a third-generation combat veteran, serves in the Air National Guard and completed six deployments. He has also worked as a physician for the Veterans Health Administration and is the lead osteopathic expert at Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine, a job he'll continue while campaigning. McAuley told Playbook in an interview that he thought it was important to have more doctors and educators in Congress, 'because we bring a logical thought process to assessing problems' using facts and history. Otherwise, he said, politicians 'stick their finger up in the air and go along with whatever the current opinion is' and 'lose focus of what is guiding them.' The district he's seeking to represent covers parts of Polk, Hillsborough and Pasco counties, is home to nearly 46,000 veterans — and not one of the seats House Democrats' campaign arm is targeting to try to flip. Yet Lee, a former Florida secretary of state under Gov. RON DESANTIS, won her reelection by 12 points in 2024, a smaller or similar margin to other seats Democrats targeted (and lost) last cycle. And McAuley's biography has links to some of the changes the Trump administration has planned as it considers revamping federal disaster relief. He predicted overhauling or phasing out FEMA would hurt states' ability to respond and rebuild. Problems that are already occurring — with high insurance costs as well as real estate investors buying up storm-damaged homes in long-established communities — would only worsen, he warned. 'Shifting the burden to the states sounds like a good catchphrase, except the states don't have the money and resources necessary to shoulder the burden,' he said. 'That's why FEMA is in place. That's why the federal government plays a role in making sure that states can foot the financial bill, but also that they have the expertise in terms of disaster strategy and management.' Thankfully, Florida appears poised to avoid the first major hurricane of the season, reports the South Florida Sun Sentinel. McAuley's advice for peak season is to write down important phone numbers and directions, and for Floridians to know their neighbors, especially vulnerable older adults and pregnant women. 'Know their face, know their kids, know who lives in their house,' he said. 'That will enable you to look out for them.' Asked about FEMA's involvement in immigration, given that the agency plans to send hundreds of millions of dollars to states to help them build immigration detention centers, McAuley said government funding should 'stick to the reason for which it was appropriated.' (It's worth noting responsibilities for housing detainees in Florida also have fallen to the state Division of Emergency Management.) 'Immigration is not an emergency in Florida,' McAuley said. 'Hurricanes, natural disasters — those things can prompt emergency response. But I think shifting money and reappropriating funds that are supposed to be spent to deal with emergencies towards another one of the administration's priorities is reckless and puts us in a position of not having those funds when an actual disaster strikes.' McAuley stressed he supported securing the border and wanted to work on an immigration reform plan if elected. But he took issue with the Trump administration 'arresting people who are going to work or showing up to court.' 'It's an about-face on the mission that was presented to the American people when they had the opportunity to vote,' he said. McAuley raised more than $115,000 in the first 24 hours after launching his campaign in late July, per his political operation. Lee has nearly $840,000 cash on hand. WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis has a press conference at 9 a.m. in Sanderson with Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: kleonard@ and @leonardkl. CAMPAIGN MODE DESANTIS WEIGHS IN ON 2026 — DeSantis said Wednesday that Jay Collins — his newly appointed lieutenant governor — could be a 'compelling' candidate for governor in 2026 but stopped short of endorsing him for a potential GOP primary bid against Rep. Byron Donalds and others. The governor also sidestepped a question about the political future of first lady Casey DeSantis, framing speculation about her running for governor as 'not anything she has ever outwardly sought.' But he added she wants to continue 'to help make a difference in one way or another.' — Gary Fineout ... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ... FIRST BEAR HUNT IN A DECADE — The state wildlife commission voted Wednesday to allow Florida's first bear hunt in a decade, prompting opponents to say they will immediately file a legal challenge to block the move. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission approved new proposed rules that would allow hunters to kill 187 bears in four regional zones in December. The unanimous vote followed more than two hours of public comment, during which hunters clad in fluorescent orange supported the proposal. Opponents, many wearing black 'stop the bear hunt' T-shirts, said the allowed methods of killing were cruel. — Bruce Ritchie 'VAPE SHOP HEROIN' — Food safety inspectors from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will be hitting the streets armed with new rules banning a synthetically derived chemical said to give the same dangerous effects as morphine. State Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER said Wednesday he used the emergency rulemaking authority given to him under a recently enacted law to ban the sale of 7-hydroxymitragynine. Traces of the chemical, commonly known as 7-OH, are found in Kratom. Products made with 7-OH have recently become popular at vape shops and gas stations for providing the same sedative effects as the most powerful opioids. 'It's clearly something more potent than morphine that should not be sitting on a shelf next to a pack of Skittles,' Uthmeier said. 'We're going to remove that immediately.' Researchers also believe 7-OH is even more addictive than opioids, prompting the FDA to recommend heavy restrictions last month. Other than medical marijuana, Florida's GOP leaders have repeatedly failed to approve key regulations for hemp and other new products hitting the market. The state's few hemp restrictions mostly address product safety for children, leaving enforcement to the state Department of Agriculture. Uthmeier was joined by Agriculture Commissioner WILTON SIMPSON, who said his team of food safety inspectors will start enforcing the 7-OH ban at the more than 5,000 stores selling it statewide. Before the emergency rule was made, Simpson's inspectors had no way to address complaints about 7-OH filed by residents. 'Let me be clear, we are going to aggressively pursue this issue, and issue stop sales immediately,' Simpson said. 'We have fielded complaints, but have not been able to act. That ends today.' — Arek Sarkissian DECISION COMING WITHIN A WEEK — U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams sharply questioned lawyers for the state of Florida and federal government Wednesday about why the 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention facility had to be built on an airstrip in the Everglades' delicate ecosystem. She questioned why the tented facility, which is expected to have the capacity to hold as many as 4,000 undocumented immigrants at a time, wasn't constructed elsewhere, including outside a standing detention center, at an abandoned commercial property, a decommissioned airport or 'an abandoned speedway' — in an apparent reference to the 'Speedway Slammer' detention facility under development in Indiana. State and federal lawyers explained the location was helpful for sending out deportation flights directly from the airstrip, and that the remote site was important for public safety. But Williams, an Obama-era appointee, shot back that deportation flights could leave out of other Florida airports. — Kimberly Leonard ORDER ISSUED ON LGBTQ+ LAW — 'A federal judge agreed with a transgender teacher that state law prohibiting teachers from telling students their preferred pronouns discriminated based on sex and altered her employment conditions, violating federal law,' reports Stephany Matat of USA Today Network — Florida. A LOOK AT THE NEW EDUCATION SECRETARY — Anastasios Kamoutsas, 'the former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis, has gained attention through his use of threats, warnings and public shaming to demonize school board members, district officials and union leaders whom he accuses of not adhering to the DeSantis agenda. At the same time, he has heaped praise on groups and individuals who share his views,' reports Jeffrey S. Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times. — ''Conservatives' press for continuation of Obamacare enhanced premium tax credits,' by Christine Sexton of the Florida Phoenix. TODAY — Simpson state Senate President BEN ALBRITTON and Senate President Pro Tempore JASON BRODEUR are joining the Farmers Feeding Florida initiative in Tampa for a noon kickoff event. The initiative makes more food available in more locations for people who can't afford it and connects fresh food from Florida to state food banks. PENINSULA AND BEYOND 'NOT GOING TO BE SUNSHINE AND RAINBOWS' — Alachua County school board members received a free speech refresher course Wednesday after a recent public meeting devolved into a 'circus,' all triggered by a callous social media post after HULK HOGAN's death. Will this be enough to satisfy the state Board of Education, which is poised next week to consider potential sanctions against Alachua school leaders for threatening to remove a parent who criticized the anti-MAGA sentiments? The issue is the latest First Amendment spat in Florida, as state Education Commissioner ANASTASIOS KAMOUTSAS calls for the state to dock school board members' pay for violating the rights of parents. The controversy stems from Chair SARAH ROCKWELL scribing a post on social media that generated national blowback from conservatives: 'Oh did Hulk die? I didn't even know. Good. One less MAGA in the world.' The state Board of Education is set to weigh 'probable cause for noncompliance' with Florida's parental rights laws at its upcoming meeting. In the face of this showdown, Alachua's school board attorney held a training on free speech and social media Wednesday, warning officials that although public comment can be 'uncomfortable,' they should be hesitant to toss speakers. 'It's not going to be sunshine and rainbows when people are coming down to share their grievances,' said school board attorney DAVID DELANEY. — Andrew Atterbury DATELINE D.C. JRE TREATMENT — Rep. ANNA PAULINA LUNA (R-Fla.) joined JOE ROGAN on his popular podcast this week to share her take on unidentified anomalous phenomena, the term the US government uses instead of UFOs. Luna said she had viewed top-secret photos in a secure location that make her 'very confident there are things out there not created by mankind' and said she and several other members of Congress are working on pushing for more material to be declassified. TAKING THE TEMPERATURE ON REDISTRICTING — POLITICO's Lisa Kashinsky and Meredith Lee Hill a piece today about concerns some members of the House have regarding redistricting. One of them is Rep. RANDY FINE, who told POLITICO's Gary Fineout that he wasn't sure how it could legally be done in Florida given a law prohibiting lawmakers from redrawing the map to help incumbents or a particular party. ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN — 'Man arrested after nude photos found displayed at Florida Publix, police say,' per Click Orlando. BIRTHDAYS: Tim Tebow ... Martin J. Sweet, author and professor ... Sean Miles, principal at the Mayfair Group and a Rick Scott alum … state Rep. Sam Greco.
