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The Reno VA Hospital's nursing facility is under the microscope..."We have work to do, we know that and we are ready and willing to do it," said Glenna Smith, Hospital’s Public Affairs Officer...the nursing home received a one-star rating for quality between the months of July and September 2017. But overall, it received two stars...Smith explains the low rating can be attributed to a big change. That change took place a few years ago to better position with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services rating system, which is used for private sector nursing homes...But Smith says the VA hospital can't pick and choose who to care for, like its counterparts in the private sector. So that leads to admitting patients who are severely ill, which impacts the ratings...The most recent rating between January and March 2018 saw an increase. The overall rating went to three stars with quality going to two...Smith says paying attention to how to treat pain and also increasing veteran patients' mobility are two biggest factors to improving the ratings...

An explosive but confidential audit which investigated reports of widespread billing errors within the University of Nevada medical school has been kept quiet for more than two years...It's only been known to a handful of officials in the higher education system. But the confidentiality is about to end...The audit uncovered incompetence on a massive scale, and quite possibly, fraudulent billing that continued for years within the University of Nevada's medical school practice...The I-Team has been asking for a copy of the report for weeks. Two days ago, the state said no because it is private and confidential...The audit by an independent firm, "Crowe Horwath," uncovered systemic problems within the University of Nevada, Reno Medical School's billing procedures: overbilling, underbilling, lack of oversight, and potential legal consequences...

The Washoe County Health District has released the “2018 Washoe County Chronic Disease Report Card,” the most current and available information about chronic disease and their risk factors for Washoe County...“The intent of this report is to provide a summary of chronic diseases and their risk factors in Washoe County and to serve as a source of currently-available chronic disease data. It is also intended to provide local health care providers, chronic disease practitioners, and other interested persons and programs with data they may use in their work to improve the health of Washoe County,” says District Health Officer Kevin Dick...

...the University of Nevada, Reno just announced the launch of their new department of surgery...With this new department, there's a greater chance medical students taught here, will stay local to practice...This department launch comes as an effort to keep up with the growing demand of interest in surgical careers from their medical students...The new department has been about two years in the making. With the school's community based mission, local surgeons and practitioners will now get to actively teach these students...Medical students will now experience training from community partners like Renown and the local VA and surgeons' offices throughout Reno...The university says establishing this department will help with retention; teaching Nevadans who will stay in Nevada and help Nevadans. Berg explains, "The majority of people locate 25 miles within their residency, so if we're trying to make sure that we train doctors here and we keep doctors here, that we establish strong competitive residency programs."

Dozier's death warrant was signed by Clark County District Court Judge Jennifer Togliatti, who last November blocked the execution over concerns that one drug in the three-drug protocol would immobilize the inmate and mask any signs of pain and suffering. The warrant didn't address her previous concerns..."The (state) Supreme Court never decided whether Mr. Dozier would experience extreme pain, or if he would suffocate to death, or if this protocol is constitutionally adequate," ACLU legal director Amy Rose said Wednesday. She conceded that her group didn't have legal standing to act on Dozier's behalf unless he asks for it...Dozier, 47, has said he wants to die and doesn't really care if he experiences pain. But he did let a team of federal public defenders challenge the drugs and method that Nevada prison officials planned to use...Nevada and other states have struggled in recent years to find drugs after pharmaceutical companies and distributors banned their use for executions...

Reno Behavioral Healthcare Hospital has officially opened its doors to patients. The behavioral healthcare hospital is the first facility of its kind to be built from the ground up in our community in more than 35 years...The 80,000-square-foot facility is at 6940 Sierra Center Parkway near Target in the Meadowood area of south Reno...The hospital offers 124 beds, and inpatient and outpatient programs for psychiatric and addiction treatment for patients of all ages...represents a new day for mental health and addiction services. Our goal is to raise the standard of care and give people another option for their treatment that has been lacking for many years...

It says that the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) and Renown Health have both entered into agreements with the Northern Nye County Hospital District for a phased expansion of services over the next year...“The Northern Nye County Hospital District is proud to collaborate with REMSA and Renown to expand on the much-needed services for the thousands of residents in central Nevada,” said Justin Zimmerman, a Northern Nye County Hospital District Board Trustee. “Together, we are innovating rural healthcare delivery, creating new ways for residents to access medical care while preserving their local, independent way of life.”...Future phases of the REMSA expansion will include locally-based, 24/7 Community Paramedics, as well as community wellness and public education initiatives...Renown, in partnership with the Northern Nye County Hospital District, will be expanding on the care already being provided to residents since it opened the medical group in June 2016 at the former Nye Regional Medical Center, 825 S. Main Street...

The Stacie Mathewson Behavioral Health and Addiction Institute will focus on identifying the causes of mental illnesses and addiction at early ages. Thanks to a $6 million donation by Charles and Stacie Mathewson, parents and the medical community will have more resources to help battle addiction and mental health issues..."We don't have enough specialty providers that know how to treat children and adolescents in the community. It's a severe lack; we need more people to specialize in that population and those kids and being able to reach them early," said Kristen Davis-Coelho, psychologist at Renown Regional Medical Center...The Institute will also track babies who are born addicted and help provide individual case management to meet the medical needs of the babies, as well as parents working toward long-term recovery or support for foster and adoptive parents.

A crisis mental health clinic in Reno abruptly shut its doors...less than a month after giving up its special community behavioral health clinic status...The nonprofit WestCare said in a statement that it has closed its Reno operations — with the exception of WestCare Homefront, which serves veterans — because of financial shortfalls with government funding partners. Just three weeks earlier, the nonprofit voluntarily gave up its participation in the certified community behavioral health clinic demonstration program but said that it would continue to operate its programs in Reno...WestCare said that its ability to provide the multitude of services required of a certified community behavioral health center was “significantly diminished” after the departure of a clinical supervisor and three clinical social worker interns...WestCare...will continue to operate the Community Triage Center and our other programs in Reno...

Just how healthy is our community? It's an important question for all of us and the latest answer was delivered...at a meeting in the county commission chambers...The study--the 2018 County Health Rankings Report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation--is in a way a county-by-county report card, of the nation's health...Douglas and Pershing counties, for instance, topped the list as the healthiest. Mineral and Nye, the least. That apparently came as little surprise to those who work in public health. Washoe, by the way, slipped in this latest survey from fourth to ninth..."We have an increased number of people who say they are in poor health."...The survey measured a list of factors including socioeconomic factors such as graduation rates, health insurance, teen births, income inequality...There was one factor, however, that played a role in a number of ways--our housing crunch...One other factor jumped out of the data: deaths related to DUI accidents.