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Nevada

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Nevada is a land of vast open plains, sheep, cattle, spectacular deserts and magnificent mountains. It is home to more than 50 percent of the Nation's wild horses. Nevada attracted early settlers during the mining boom with the discovery of one of the largest silver lodes in the world at Comstock Mine. Mining still continues for gold, silver, copper, and other minerals and gems. Today Nevada attracts tourists from all over the world to its scenic resort areas and gambling casinos. Nevada covers 110,567 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 2,600,167 people – 264,770 living in rural Nevada (USDA-ERS). Carson City, the capital, is located in the western region of the state. The state’s largest cities are Las Vegas, Reno, Henderson, and North Las Vegas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 81.4% of the state’s population is white, 8.0% is African American/Black, 6.1% is Asian, 1.4% is American Indian & Alaska Native, and 25.1% is of Hispanic/Latino origin.

There are 34 hospitals in Nevada, 13 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, 2007). The state has 11 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 6 Rural Health Clinics in Nevada (CMS, 2009), and 2 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 35 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2006). Most Nevadans have some form of health insurance coverage, although 18.4% of its residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007.)

According to the Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all Nevadans in 2007 was $39,853, although rural per-capita income lagged at $35,572. 2007 estimates indicate a poverty rate of 10.3% exists in rural Nevada, compared to an 10.7% level in urban areas of the state. 2000 data reports 17.5% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 19.6% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural Nevada is at 6.9%, while in urban Nevada it is at 6.6 (USDA-ERS, 2008).

For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.

Data Sources:

U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts

USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets

North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center

Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts

Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List

State Contacts

Directory of Rural Health Contacts: Nevada
Contact information for people and organizations in Nevada with an interest in rural health.

Organizations

California/Nevada Community Action Partnership
State/regional organization
This is the organizations that provides services to members throughout California and Nevada including Head Start, senior nutrition, job training, community economic development, homeless shelters, after school and other youth programs, Food Banks, community gardens and other anti-hunger programs, energy assistance and home weatherization services.

Community Services Agency and Development Corporation (CSA&DC)
State/regional organization
Information and resources on a variety human service issues for northern Nevada that include housing, weatherization, financial literacy, computer classes, and Head Start.

HUD Community Development Block Grants: Nevada
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.

Nevada Commission on Economic Development (NCED)
State/regional organization
Provides information, resources and training programs that support the economic development of Nevada.

Nevada Community Action Association
State/regional organization
A statewide group representing the needs of the CSBG entities in the 17 counties of Nevada.

Nevada Department of Education: Special Education
State government
The state agency that assists special education teachers in meeting the language, socioeconomic backgrounds and students who have disabilities.

Nevada Department of Employment, Training & Rehabilitation (DETR)
State government
Connects Nevada's businesses with a qualified workforce and ensure equal employment opportunities.

Nevada Department of Employment, Training, and Rehabilitation: Rehabilitation Division
State government
Provides services for people with disabilities to help enable them to work and live independently.

Nevada Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHS)
State government
Promotes the health and well-being of Nevadans through the delivery or facilitation of essential services to ensure families are strengthened, public health is protected, and individuals achieve their highest level of self-sufficiency.

Nevada Department of Health and Human Services: Mental Health & Developmental Services (MHDS)
State government
Working in partnership with consumers, families, advocacy groups, agencies, and diverse communities, the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services provides responsive services and informed leadership to ensure quality outcomes. This mission includes treatment in the least restrictive environment, prevention, education, habitation, and rehabilitation for Nevadans challenged with mental illness or mental retardation.

Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services
State government
Working in partnership with consumers, families, advocacy groups, agencies, and diverse communities, the Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services provides responsive services and informed leadership to ensure quality outcomes.

Nevada Elder Protective Services
State government
Provides elder protective services for persons 60 years old and older who may experience abuse, neglect, exploitation, or isolation. Elder Protective Services serves all of Nevada.

Nevada Housing Division (NHD)
State government
Assists and encourages the private sector and other government entities in the creation and maintenance of affordable housing throughout the State of Nevada.

Nevada Rural Housing Authority (NRHA)
State/regional organization
A public housing authority that administers affordable housing programs across the State of Nevada.

Nevada State Health Division
State government
Promotes and protects the health of all Nevadans and visitors to the state through its leadership in public health and enforcement of laws and regulations pertaining to public health.

Nevada State Health Division: Office of Minority Health
State government
Works to improve the quality of health care services for members of minority groups; and to increase access to health care services; to seek ways to provide education, address, treat and prevent diseases and conditions that are prevalent among minority populations.

Nevada State Office of Rural Health
State government
Provides technical assistance activities to rural communities through workshops, dissemination of information, and recruitment and retention of health care practitioners. A division of the Center for Education and Health Services Outreach at the University of Nevada School of Medicine.

Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Helps rural communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming to improve community infrastructure.

State of Nevada: Division of Welfare and Supportive Services
State government
Works to establish paternity and collect financial support for children.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Nevada
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.

USDA Rural Development Nevada State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.

Tools

California STD/HIV Prevention Training Center
Web site
Provides training courses that are designed to meet the needs of medical, health, and community professionals serving persons and communities impacted by STD and HIV. Service area includes the federal Health and Human Services Region IX: California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, and the following Pacific Islands: American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
Sponsoring organization: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

ERS State Fact Sheet: Nevada
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service

MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
Sponsoring organization: National Library of Medicine

National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Nevada
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
Sponsoring organization: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Nevada QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau

Nevada Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.

Nevada Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
Sponsoring organization: National Center for Health Workforce Analysis

Nevada KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Sponsoring organization: Annie E. Casey Foundation

Nevada State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
Sponsoring organization: Kaiser Family Foundation

State Profiles- Nevada: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
Sponsoring organization: Rural Health Resource Center

See also: Resources for All States: Tools

Maps & Map Collections

Nevada Rural Definition Maps
Geographic coverage: Nevada
Set of maps showing the geographic coverage provided by 9 different rural definitions for the state.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service

See also: Resources for All States: Maps

Funding

Gannett Foundation Community Action Grants
Provides grants in communities where the Gannett Company has a presence.

Inactive Funding

Inactive Funding Opportunities - Lists additional funding programs for this state that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.

Documents, Reports and Other Publications

Demographic and Economic Profile: Nevada
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Presents demographics, economics, and research on Nevada. Includes statistics, data, maps, charts, and graphs.
Date: 10 / 2008

Education: A Regional Overview
Author(s): By Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Explores education characteristics in the western states and examines how it impacts rural development.
Date: 2008

Employment, Income and Poverty: A Regional Overview
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Examines and compares employment and income in western states with both rural and urban data.
Date: 2008

Health and Longevity: A Regional Overview
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Examines health and longevity for states in the western region.
Date: 2008

Land Use and Resources: A Regional Overview
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Examines land use and resources in the western states.
Date: 2008

Nevada Rural and Frontier Health Data Book - 2009 Edition
Author(s): John Packham, Mary Tabor Griswold
Sponsoring organization: Nevada State Office of Rural Health
Contains data on demographics, social and economic characteristics, population health status and insurance coverage, and health care workforce for the state of Nevada. Tables display data by region and distinguish between rural, frontier, and urban regions.
Date: 02 / 2009

Nevada Rural and Frontier Health Data Book, 2004
Author(s): John Packham, Tabor Griswold
Sponsoring organization: Nevada State Office of Rural Health
Provides statistics describing the population and the health care delivery system in rural and frontier regions of Nevada.
Date: 09 / 2004

Recruiting Local People to Fill Health Care Needs
Author(s): Candi Helseth
Sponsoring organization: Rural Assistance Center
Discusses how frontier and rural health care providers looking for innovative ways to solve increasing workforce shortages, are recruiting and training local people to be health care professionals in their communities. Highlights programs in Nevada, Maryland, and Alaska.
Journal citation: Rural Monitor
Date: 08 / 2007

Small Business Profile: Nevada
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006

State of Nevada: Population Brief
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Baseline information for the advancement of rural development that examines population changes and characteristics within Nevada.
Date: 2008

State Profiles - Nevada: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005

The Changing West: A Regional Overview
Author(s): Don E. Albrecht
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Provides baseline data for identifying population changes in the western states for use in advancing rural development.
Date: 2008

See also: Resources for All States: Documents

Success Stories

Human Services Educational Programs
This project involves developing and implementing a Human Services Certificate Program and a Human Services Associate of Applied Science Degree Program, that will train and educate individuals for jobs that support the delivery of a broad range of health-related services currently lacking in GBC's expansive, rural service area.

Community Service Agency of Reno Homeownership Program
Describes a program in Reno, Nevada that removes a barrier to homeownership for low income families by providing up to 4% of the purchase price of the home.

Nevada Rural Hospital Partners Property Insurance Program
The Nevada Rural Hospital Partners (NRHP) have implemented a very simple hospital property insurance program intended to bring value to network members, and a revenue stream to networks.

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Page last updated 6/3/2009
State last reviewed 12/05/2008

Events
Nov 9 - 13, 2009
NNAEMSA 2009 18th Annual Educational Conference
National Native American EMS Association
The Orleans Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, NV
Contact:
  828.736.0885


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Maintained by:
Kathy Spencer
kathy@raconline.org

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