Governor Joe Lombardo visited Churchill County on July 21 to sign several bills relating to health care, including Senate Bill 118, which revises the bill to allow counites that are non-adjacent to form health districts.
The Central Nevada Health District is the result of five rural Nevada communities seeking opportunities to provide local public health services. Those communities include Churchill County, the City of Fallon, Pershing County, Mineral County and Eureka County. CNHD was developed based on the belief that local communities knew, understood, and tailor services for their populations as desired, rather than contracting for services with the state. The belief is that through combining the resources and efforts of multiple rural communities, they could increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their services.
Once the State Board of Health approved the new health district in December 2022, initial steps were taken to fully realize the promise of the district. The Central Nevada Health District began serving the communities in its four counties and one city on July 1, 2023.
Assemblyman Greg Koenig, who represents Churchill and Mineral Counties, was instrumental in getting the bill through various committees and to a vote on the assembly floor during the 2023 legislative session.
The governor’s visit to Churchill County also included lunch with city and county officials, a tour of the Nevada State Health Lab’s satellite office in the county annex building, and a stop at the William N. Pennington Life Center’s ice cream social.
While in Fallon, the governor also signed Senate Bill 241 which revised provisions to Medicaid and Assembly Bill 277 which established provisions governing rural emergency hospitals.
Photo: Governor Joe Lombardo, surrounded by representatives from the Central Nevada Health District, medical organizations across Nevada and elected officials, signs Senate Bill 118, establishing the Central Nevada Health District among non-adjacent counties. This is the third health district in Nevada and the only one dedicated to meeting the health needs of rural Nevada.