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Amid an increase in fatal and non-fatal overdoses — including many caused by fentanyl misuse — Gov. Steve Sisolak and state health officials are creating a statewide task force focused on reducing and responding to the issue...The Joint Advisory Task Force will determine how to reduce the risk of overdose, prepare the state and local jurisdictions if overdoses increase, and provide technical assistance, guidance and resources to lower risk, as well as improve overdose response and recovery...Read More

After more than two decades of violating state law, the Nevada Board of Pharmacy must remove cannabis from a list of controlled substances deemed to be highly abused, a Clark County District Court judge ruled...The order followed a lawsuit brought forward in April by the Cannabis, Equity and Inclusion Community on behalf of Antoine Poole, a Las Vegas resident who was convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance for marijuana in 2017. The conviction occurred the same year recreational marijuana use became legal in Nevada...READ MORE

Gov. Steve Sisolak signed an executive order...implementing protections for anyone seeking or providing abortion services or other reproductive health care within the Silver State...The order arrives after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion last week and seeks to provide refuge for those seeking such services. It also addresses the adoption of laws by other states that have imposed civil or criminal liability for those who seek abortions...“Reproductive health care is a basic human right, and Nevada stands firm in its commitment to ensuring there is safe and equitable access for Nevadans and anyone seeking refuge from the restrictive laws in their state,” Sisolak said in a press release...“No one should be punished for providing or receiving necessary medical care, including abortions, contraception and other reproductive health care services.”...READ MORE

After receiving more than $320 million so far from settlements with opioid companies, the state has created a process to divide it across all Nevada counties...the attorney general’s office debriefed members of the Assembly Committee on Revenue on the One Nevada Agreement on Allocation of Opioid Recoveries...“We included all counties — whether or not they were litigating or non-litigating — so that they all are receiving something because frankly, this opioid epidemic does not care about county lines or city lines,” said Chief Deputy Attorney General Mark Krueger...One of the more recent settlements was $32 million the state received through opioid litigation with Walmart...READ MORE

Nevada’s governor...said the state is launching a prescription discount card, a method of softening the rising costs of medications that is also used in Washington and Oregon...The digital card, called ArrayRX, saves an average of 80% on generic prescriptions and up to 20% on brand name drugs and is free for Nevadans, Governor Steve Sisolak said. For those without health insurance, the card is set to lower costs significantly...Those with health insurance will be able to compare their costs with ArrayRX, and can opt for whichever option is cheaper...READ MORE

A payment vendor was hit with a ransomware attack back in February that may have exposed patient data from more than 600 healthcare providers and organizations...Professional Finance Company...detected and stopped a sophisticated ransomware attack in which an unauthorized third party accessed and disabled some of PFC’s computer systems...During an ongoing investigation, it was determined that hackers accessed files containing certain individuals' personal information...the company is one of the nation’s leading debt recovery agencies, and its client list includes many healthcare providers, retailers, financial organizations and government agencies...The ransomware attack hit company computer systems that held data from clients such as Banner Health, Lifestance Health, Renown Health, DispatchHealth and hundreds of other provider customers...READ MORE

KRNV-TV reported...that in response to a public records request, the board said it has 455 pending cases, including three on hold since 2016 because police also are investigating...Medical Board Executive Director Ed Cousineau told KRNV-TV that staffing issues can make it difficult to complete investigations in a timely manner...But Reno attorney Julie Throop said delays of seven years can make it too late for attorneys to use board findings in court...KRNV-TV said records showed 301 pending complaints filed against doctors last year and 140 unresolved since 2019. It found eight outstanding complaints from 2018 and three from 2017...READ MORE

Nevada state police arrested a Washington state man and seized 56 pounds of suspected fentanyl with an estimated street value of $3.6 million from a vehicle a trooper stopped near the Utah line...Jorge A. Rivas-Vizcarra, 50, of Royal City was being held on multiple drug charges...in the White Pine County Jail in Ely where his bail was set at $750,000...He was arrested Monday after a traffic stop on U.S Highway 93 about 20 miles north of Ely...READ MORE

...the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took the unusual step of authorizing pharmacists to directly prescribe antiviral medication Paxlovid to patients testing positive for COVID-19...But don’t expect to get a prescription right away from your neighborhood pharmacist for the pills...Major pharmacy chains and a state regulatory agency said Friday that they’re continuing to work with the FDA on how to best implement the change, including whether any new costs will be passed on to patients. Although the details still need to be worked out, the change was applauded by the industry...“I’m elated,” said Christina Madison, an associate professor at the College of Pharmacy at Roseman University in Southern Nevada...The change eliminates a barrier to getting treatment, especially in rural areas and “medical deserts” where a pharmacy is “the only place a person can get medical information for miles,” she said...READ MORE