Elko County health officer flags state health department split and asks for clarity

Elko County’s health officer told the Board of Health on Thursday that the state has reorganized its health apparatus into two offices and urged local officials to watch for communication and service changes. The officer said the Department of Health and Human Services has been split into two parts — the Nevada Health Authority and a Department of Human Services — and that programs such as Nevada Medicaid, the public employee benefit program, Nevada Health Link and the state analytics office are now “hosted” under the Nevada Health Authority. The county health officer said the Department of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) remains part of the reorganization and that environmental health programs may also be affected. The county health officer told the board: “The Department of Health and Human Services has split into two. One side is the Nevada Health Authority and the other is the Department of Human Services.” The officer said the changes “certainly can affect” people who rely on county liaison services and asked board members and the public to report any problems with state-to-local communications so she can escalate them. Why it matters: the county health officer said the reorganization could change points of contact and workflows for Medicaid, public-employee benefits, health insurance connector services and public-health analytics, which may affect how Elko County handles referrals, environmental health issues and other interactions with state agencies. Board follow-up and timeline: the county health officer said she has contacted state representatives and was told old email addresses would be linked to new addresses, and she asked for an org chart to clarify reporting lines. She said the board will invite state representatives and a National Association of Counties (NACo) representative to the October meeting to present on the changes and how they might affect rural Nevada and Elko County responsibilities. Discussion versus decision: this item was an informational update; no board action was taken. The officer asked the public to notify her if they encounter communication problems so she can forward them to state contacts.