LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — A visiting physician handled Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo’s grandson throughout an emergency final yr, which the governor stated highlights the necessity for extra medical professionals throughout the state.
“Adequate and timely access to health care remains a pressing challenge for many Nevadans, including myself and my family,” Lombardo, a Republican, stated throughout a listening to Tuesday for his Nevada Healthcare Entry Act. “Simply final yr, my younger grandson was hospitalized for a critical ear an infection. He wanted emergency surgical procedure, however there wasn’t a health care provider at any hospital in Southern Nevada who was geared up to carry out the process he wanted.”
A surgeon from Texas visiting Nevada handled the boy, Lombardo stated.
“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 stated.
The proposal, Senate Invoice 495, is meant to streamline well being companies throughout the state, broaden psychological well being companies and develop the medical workforce.
Nevada holds one of many lowest doctor-to-patient ratios within the nation, rating forty eighth within the nation, in accordance with 2023 knowledge by the Nationwide Library of Drugs. The governor’s invoice seems to be to sort out the scarcity by honing in on residency packages and growing their funding.
One group opposing the invoice, the Nevada Dental Hygienists’ Affiliation, acknowledges the workforce scarcity however believes the elimination of some necessities within the invoice, as written, would cut back affected person care as a result of it permits for on-the-job coaching.
No vote was recorded on the invoice as of Tuesday afternoon. The legislative session ends June 2.
