Latest news with #NevadaHealthcareAccessAct
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Nevada Gov. Lombardo urges health care act's passage after visiting doctor treats grandson
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A visiting doctor treated Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo's grandson during an emergency last year, which the governor said highlights the need for more medical professionals across the state. 'Adequate and timely access to health care remains a pressing challenge for many Nevadans, including myself and my family,' Lombardo, a Republican, said during a hearing Tuesday for his Nevada Healthcare Access Act. 'Just last year, my young grandson was hospitalized for a serious ear infection. He needed emergency surgery, but there wasn't a doctor at any hospital in Southern Nevada who was equipped to perform the procedure he needed.' A surgeon from Texas visiting Nevada treated the boy, Lombardo said. 'Nevadans seeking medical care face long wait times and have trouble accessing specialists. The need for more doctors, nurses, specialists and health care providers is increasingly evident,' Lombardo said. His proposal, Senate Bill 495, is intended to streamline health services across the state, expand mental health services and grow the medical workforce. Nevada holds one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the nation, ranking 48th in the country, according to 2023 data by the National Library of Medicine. The governor's bill looks to tackle the shortage by honing in on residency programs and increasing their funding. One group opposing the bill, the Nevada Dental Hygienists' Association, acknowledges the workforce shortage but believes the removal of some requirements in the bill, as written, would reduce patient care because it allows for on-the-job training. No vote was recorded on the bill as of Tuesday afternoon. The legislative session ends June 2. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Lombardo's health care bill aims to fix doctor shortage in Nevada
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo introduced the Nevada Healthcare Access Act on Thursday at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas's school of medicine. Some of the bill's priorities include streamlining services across the state, expanding mental health services, and growing the workforce. 'Right now, Nevadans seeking medical care face long wait times and have trouble accessing specialists,' Lombardo said. 'The need for more doctors, nurses and health care providers is increasingly evident.' Nevada holds one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios in the nation, ranking 48th in the country, according to 2023 data by the National Library of Medicine. The governor's bill looks to tackle the shortage by honing in on residency programs and increasing their funding. 'If you don't have the residency programs here in the state of Nevada, where are these graduates going to end up?' he asked. Prior to the Governor's speech, Alison Netski, interim dean of UNLV's school of medicine, shared that only 42% of the school's graduating class have residencies in Nevada. Meanwhile, the other 58% are placed elsewhere and will be taking their education and experiences out of state. First year UNLV medical student, Jacob Hoer, said he witnessed the phenomenon among his own friend group. 'There's certain programs that aren't available here, like ophthalmology, dermatology,' Hoer said. 'I have friends that want to go into that specialty, and they already know that unless something changes, they will have to leave the valley.' However, the life-long Nevadan hopes to stay in state when it's time for his residency. 'I have family here. I have siblings that are also working in the medical field locally, so I would love to stay here,' Hoer said. According to the governor's team, it will take at least a year to get the right infrastructure into place to see any results, if the bill is passed. Lombardo's team also addressed House Republicans' recently unveiled Medicaid plan that would attach an 80-hour-per-month work requirement to benefits. Nevada Medicaid's Stacie Weeks said the new requirements will be damaging to the state. 'We're looking at how that would affect the program, but overall it is not as big in terms of cuts that we expected for the state, so that's the good news,' Weeks said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
