The newly established Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) is up and running, ushering in the new era of rural Nevada public health. The State of Nevada Board of Health approved creating the CNHD last December. It is the first in Nevada to serve the state’s rural population, helping residents in the City of Fallon along with those in Pershing, Churchill, Mineral, and Eureka counties.
Starting July 1, the CNHD began offering public health nursing; public health preparedness; disease investigation and prevention; and environmental health.
The idea for the Central Nevada Health District was borne through the COVID-19 pandemic as a way for the smaller, dispersed communities in central Nevada to leverage public health resources, reduce gaps, and expand services. The pandemic showed how public health services were not as robust as those in urban areas, and rural communities such as Mineral County struggled to manage its response to the pandemic while also dealing with the public, behavioral and community health issues, too.
Prior to the pandemic, public health in rural areas of Nevada was primarily offered through the state’s Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH). DPBH provides public health nurses, coordinates grants, and works with the public to meet their health needs. Washoe and Clark counties have established their own health districts and Carson, Storey, Lyon, and Douglas counties work together through contracts without the need to establish a defined health district.
There are pros and cons to having public health in rural areas managed by the DPBH. The cons are that it is more of a coordinating agency that does not directly administer public health services, which is what rural communities most often need. On top of that, each community has its own unique characteristics and challenges that the state structured DPBH cannot support.
These issues were clear before the pandemic, however, COVID-19 exacerbated the magnitude of the public health crisis in rural Nevada. It was further complicated with the social, mental, behavioral health problems (and political landscape), anxieties, and stress. But it also presented an opportunity to fix the public health system for those willing to do so.
First approved in August of 2022, the CNHD is the result of five rural communities that believe they know what public health services are best for their constituents. They began combining and leveraging their resources (for instance, Churchill County began helping Mineral County with COVID-19 testing, vaccinations, and communication) to create better efficiency and effectiveness.
CNHD is committed to keeping its Nevadans healthy by bringing integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence to serve its rural communities.
The Mineral County CNHD office is located at 331 1st Street in Hawthorne, Nevada. Over the next year, it will remain flexible and adaptable in meeting its community needs and will be focused on strengthening its public health services.
For more information about the CNHD, visit www.CentralNevadaHD.org or call (775)258-0145.
