[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_25":26},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_27":28,"_29":30},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[31,75],{"_32":33,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":39,"_40":41,"_42":43,"_44":45,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6662030,"mediaKeyId","2401400-d7bbd87716f0d1daf653d278d05a3c99","parentId",2401400,"title","Bill to create bachelor-level behavioral health practitioners, internships and scholarships wins broad backing at committee hearing","audioSeconds",4959,"startMs",4551000,"endMs",9510000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2401400-d7bbd87716f0d1daf653d278d05a3c99&start=4551&end=9510","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2401400-d7bbd87716f0d1daf653d278d05a3c99/thumbnail_4551000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6662030/Nevada/Bill-to-create-bachelor-level-behavioral-health-practitioners-internships-and-scholarships-wins-broad-backing-at-committee-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6662030-4bca8bb1712edc2090c92457a35a772f/orig.mp4?Expires=1769677430&Signature=F1ix2NBXy-hcQOX0DnYBKRQ4jf7t69QzMbkkK4rNu~D6~usKzFTBzN0BTebcAiIO4FLs3KA7zUd6AyXJ1vaP08kRvdfv6GGYGfeJ~SHje3mIpjmk6SOeSHKFklSQxeXdO86DS-PO24-3uUUNcf0XIwFdrAlIv-hQ2Y2isZ4LdqqN3eaDMp4tQyZiz8cNjQ63imOB-lht9TZM62~zlr0rnQYVB-IanJYQ6OAATeEyumL01AVKU6hP5bCXE-zH9kXR64TCk5QfAYTvRIJ9zo~TbihqtfGTS0jOQDyfd8rOQQfUnDvwtQ9oWgwJTGqWqUJk8sA5rYRTAvIdtQSonrFewQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Nevada State Legislature","date","2025-02-26T18:26:53.173Z","article","Senate Bill 165, sponsored by Sen. Rochelle Winn, would create a new “behavioral health and wellness practitioner” bachelor’s degree and associated licensing, establish a state-supported internship pipeline for child psychologists and authorize scholarships to grow Nevada’s children's behavioral-health workforce. Proponents told the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor the changes are designed to increase prevention-oriented services in schools and communities and to retain homegrown clinicians.

“This bill will change the landscape for how we address the challenges we face as a state around children's mental health,” Sen. Winn told the committee, outlining a “bidirectional” strategy that pairs a prevention-focused bachelor’s workforce with investments to grow specialist doctoral training and in-state internships.

What the bill would create: Proponents described three linked elements. First, a four-year bachelor’s program and a new license for behavioral health and wellness practitioners who would deliver promotion, prevention and brief interventions (but not diagnoses or high-intensity therapy). Second, an in-state accredited internship program for doctoral psychologists to prevent the current outflow of trainees who must leave Nevada to complete APA-accredited internships. Third, scholarship supports and supervised-practice pathways intended to encourage graduates to remain and practice in Nevada.

Support and examples: The measure drew wide support from higher-education institutions (UNLV, UNR, Great Basin College and NSHE), hospital systems (Sunrise Children’s Hospital, Intermountain Health, Dignity Health Saint Rose Dominican), school districts (Clark County School District), county officials and advocacy groups (Children’s Advocacy Alliance, NAMI Nevada, Boys Town). The Ballmer Institute for Children's Behavioral Health described an Oregon model that already places bachelor’s-level specialists in schools and community settings; Courtney Westling of Ballmer said Oregon students in the program are already doing supervised practicum in schools and crisis lines.

Students and workforce data: Testimony included quantitative details proponents said informed the design. Michelle Paul of UNLV said Nevada currently has no APA-accredited child psychology internships and that existing doctoral programs graduate roughly 20 psychologists per year, many of whom leave the state for training. Proponents estimated a potential yield of hundreds of bachelor’s-level practitioners if even a portion of undergraduate psychology majors shift into the authorized pathway — for example, UNLV alone has about 2,000 undergraduate psychology majors and proponents said a 25% conversion could yield roughly 500 graduates over time. Proponents said supervision capacity and internship slots would be phased up in parallel (they cited a supervisory pipeline target and an initial internship target in the low double-digits).

Opposition and neutral concerns: The Nevada Association of Health Plans said it supports the goal of more behavioral-health resources but asked for clarity on how the new license would intersect with existing services (peer support, case management, community health workers) and warned of possible duplication and increased utilization if services overlap. The Nevada Division of Insurance and the Social Work Board testified neutral and said they would work with sponsors on federal funding/defrayal questions and technical rule-making; the Division of Insurance provided fiscal estimates that the sponsor and stakeholders said they would review.

Why proponents say it matters: Speakers from school districts and nonprofits said a prevention-oriented bachelor’s workforce and more in-state internship capacity could reduce emergency-room visits, juvenile-justice involvement and long waits for assessment by allowing earlier identification and brief interventions. Students and doctoral candidates told the committee that without accredited, in-state internship slots many will leave Nevada for training and not return.

Next steps: Sponsors said they expect to refine technical language, discuss funding mechanisms (scholarships, grant and philanthropic support, and potential federal matching issues) and work with insurers and licensing boards to finalize scopes of practice and supervision requirements.

Ending: Committee members expressed general support and asked technical questions about scope, fees, advisory-group sunset, and federal defrayal. Proponents and university partners pledged to continue stakeholder discussions on funding, program structure and regulatory details.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","2/26/2025 - Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor","oneSentenceSummary","Senate Bill 165 would create a new bachelor-level behavioral health and wellness practitioner license, build an in-state internship pipeline for child psychologists and fund scholarships to increase Nevada’s children’s behavioral-health workforce; the measure drew broad support from universities, hospitals, school districts and advocacy groups at a Senate Commerce and Labor hearing.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature NV, Nevada","taxId",78440,"location","Nevada","headline","","shortSummary",{"_32":76,"_34":35,"_36":37,"_38":77,"_40":78,"_42":79,"_44":80,"_46":81,"_48":82,"_50":83,"_52":84,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":85,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":86,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":71,"_72":73,"_74":73},6662033,"Washoe policy board-backed bill would fund statewide study of mental-health insurance parity",3234,1281000,4515000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2401400-d7bbd87716f0d1daf653d278d05a3c99&start=1281&end=4515","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2401400-d7bbd87716f0d1daf653d278d05a3c99/thumbnail_1281000.jpg","/articles/6662033/Nevada/Washoe-policy-board-backed-bill-would-fund-statewide-study-of-mental-health-insurance-parity","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6662033-013848c10d7d2d89c18b739a49bf50fc/orig.mp4?Expires=1769677430&Signature=NJsp5zyWAZAux7WTKppnCzaEe9ioCV5SAAd2OSI~SAEjkYP7n7FtK3TpGebk7YncgbN4Kx1YIBGiCR8fnDRW968r47IeoBV9nQ2MxMwJtr7O9kWZzFee088SU~XR6KN40e88RvcHkKx7V1BEKwOYa5pnS1i9tLA3IrzSGuDpgozkvzNChq68kx-3z00Yom61~He9sZNIbc1TF7fsh~UewyoLVtDrj9A3hBtB0z10rlpb5ycdyHozOMuByvDexqDWqbFgpYiDIrR2EbSiXyXoLf89EfUvEdSoTWQpbBfwX0BJpZDFehh5F7u9hhx1KBtC7SoWk9lq~b600n~SEVM7bw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Former Assemblywoman Sarah Peters and members of the Washoe Regional Behavioral Health Policy Board asked the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor to introduce Senate Bill 47, a proposal to fund a statewide study of mental-health parity that proponents say would document reimbursement disparities, authorization burdens and workforce gaps that limit access to behavioral health care.

“Access is the ability to receive care when you need it,” said Kristin Davis Coelho, a clinical psychologist and vice chair of the Washoe Regional Behavioral Health Policy Board. Peters told the committee SB 47 is intended to “analyze and address disparities in behavioral health coverage and support the professionals who provide these critical services.”

The bill would direct the Insurance Commissioner to contract with third-party experts to collect and analyze data from insurers, state agencies and licensing boards. Proponents said the study would compare terms of coverage for behavioral health services with coverage for other medical services — looking specifically at reimbursement rates, claims denials, prior authorization and step-therapy policies — and would include annual updates until the final report is completed.

Why it matters: Presenters told the committee that Nevada faces both a severe workforce shortage and coverage practices that make behavioral health services harder to provide and sustain. Dr. Davis Coelho and Peters described programs that open, run on grant funding, then close because low insurance reimbursement and administrative burdens make them financially unsustainable. Peters said the bill would provide “the data needed to advocate for fair reimbursement rates” and to design workforce-development policies backed by measurement rather than estimates.

Evidence and scope: Presenters said state agencies already collect some relevant data (they named the Division of Insurance, PEBB, DHHS and Medicaid) and that SB 47 would allow the Division of Insurance to request additional information from carriers and, where necessary, compel it to ensure representative data. The bill text discussed workforce licensing data, economic-impact analysis and options for identifying high-value policy responses; proponents told the committee they had discussed the study framework with a preferred vendor, the Gwen Center, to scale analysis based on available funding.

Testimony: Supporters included the Nevada Psychological Association, NAMI Nevada, Boys Town Nevada, the Nevada Psychiatric Association and the Washoe and Rural Regional Behavioral Health Policy Boards. Supporters described repeated examples in which patients in crisis remain for extended periods in hospital emergency departments or are discharged without available community placements because of provider shortages or coverage limits; Robin Reedy of NAMI noted recent local suicide deaths as a reason to pursue data-driven reforms.

Neutral and technical testimony: The Nevada Division of Insurance testified neutral, noting it had submitted a fiscal estimate to the committee office showing a range of potential outlays to run expanded parity reviews and data collection. The Nevada Association of Health Plans said insurers already submit extensive parity-related data to the Division and warned of potential duplication; the association said it was willing to work with proponents to avoid overlapping reporting requirements.

Committee action: Earlier in the same meeting the committee voted to introduce committee bill draft request 54-516; the transcript records a motion and a voice vote with the chair saying \"the motion carries,\" though the record does not attach mover/second names or a roll-call tally for that procedural introduction.

What the bill does not do: SB 47 is a study bill; proponents emphasized it would not itself change coverage rules but would compile evidence and provide recommendations for legislative or regulatory action. Presenters repeatedly distinguished the study from adoption of immediate parity remedies, saying the purpose is to quantify gaps and identify policy options.

Next steps and questions: Committee members asked about funding and scope. Proponents said the work could begin with a modest appropriation and grow if grant or philanthropic funds were secured; the Division of Insurance said it had submitted fiscal estimates that would inform any final budget decisions. Senators also asked about the meaning and application of step therapy and other utilization-management tools; proponents said the study would examine whether such tools are applied to behavioral health in ways that differ from physical health.

Ending: Supporters urged a data-driven approach to parity enforcement and workforce development. SB 47’s proponents said the study is a necessary first step to ensure behavioral health is treated with the same urgency as physical health and to provide legislators with evidence-based options for change.","Former Assemblywoman Sarah Peters and members of the Washoe Regional Behavioral Health Policy Board asked the Senate Committee on Commerce and Labor to introduce Senate Bill 47, a proposal to fund a statewide study of mental-health parity that proponents say would document reimbursement disparities, authorization burdens and workforce gaps that limit access to behavioral health care.","actionData","errors"]

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Bill to create bachelor-level behavioral health practitioners, internships and scholarships wins broad backing at committee hearing

Washoe policy board-backed bill would fund statewide study of mental-health insurance parity