Dental clinic requests up to $125,000 to hire full‑time dentist; board asks for financial details before May 30

A representative for the local dental clinic told the Northern Nye County Hospital District on May 15 that the clinic needs up to $125,000 a year to hire a full‑time dentist but is seeking at least half that amount from the district to start.

Valeria, identified in the meeting as a clinic representative, said the clinic currently handles administrative work on Wednesdays and Thursdays and schedules providers on Fridays and Saturdays depending on provider availability; with current staffing and volunteer providers, the clinic averages about three to four days a month with doctors on site. She told the board the clinic bills insured patients, patients without insurance and Medicaid, and that Medicaid payments “pay us a fraction of what we really expense.”

Board members asked Valeria to provide more‑detailed financials — monthly patient volumes, billing amounts and collections — so the board can evaluate sustainability. Trustee Nancy and other board members asked the clinic to supply those figures before the May 30 special meeting; the board agreed to add the funding and equipment discussion to the May 30 agenda. Valeria said she would provide the requested information by the middle of the following week.

The clinic also discussed transferring ownership of existing dental equipment to the district if the district purchases it; Valeria said procurement and equipment ownership decisions would require discussion with the clinic's leadership, not just the representative speaking at the meeting. No funding was approved at the May 15 meeting; the board requested detailed financial data to inform any future vote.