Health

CARSON CITY – It isn’t just fraud, but waste and abuse of Medicaid funds that state officials are taking aim at as the cost of the health insurance program for children, seniors and the disabled continues to climb.
Charles Duarte, administrator of the state Division of Health Care Financing and Policy, which oversees the Medicaid program, said efforts to identify fraud, waste and abuse have been stepped up since 2005 when only two staff in his office were dedicated to these important tasks.

For the first time in 10 years, states cut taxes more than they increased them, according to a preliminary report released last week by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
But voters should not draw hasty conclusions about what this means for states’ fiscal health. Most states continued to face substantial budget shortfalls during their 2011 legislative sessions, even though some states saw revenue collections increase.

Today, firefighters throughout the region continue to battle the Buckeye Fire, five miles west of Bridgeport. The Buckeye Fire started yesterday, September 25, 2011 around 11 a.m.

No structures have been lost and no injuries have been reported. Firefighters have been faced with steep terrain and changing wind conditions making it a difficult fire to contain. As of this morning the size of the fire is estimated to be approximately 1,200 acres. At the time of this release there is no estimate on when containment will occur. The investigation of the cause of the fire is still ongoing.

NEWS RELEASE — With recent success guiding the approval process for major projects at Lake Tahoe, the accomplishments of law firm Feldman McLaughlin Thiel reflect a rising correlation in the spectacular mountain community between a healthy environment and a healthy economy.

CARSON CITY – Medicaid fraud is a growing problem here and around the country, and two different Nevada agencies are tasked with investigating cases and returning ill-gotten taxpayer dollars to the program.

CARSON CITY – U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius today announced Affordable Care Act grant awards of $3.96 million to Nevada to help fight what she calls unreasonable premium increases.

CARSON CITY – Nevadans are more pessimistic now about the state of the economy than they have been since early 2010, according to the most recent poll commissioned by the Retail Association of Nevada.

By Aimi Xistra-Rich
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE — The Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation has opened registration for the 2011 – 2012 Alpine, Freestyle, Freeride and Snowboard Programs. With a variety of options from the One-Day Program to the Full-Time Competitive Program, the Lake Tahoe foundation has something for all ages and levels of skiers and riders. Registration packets are available online, at the HSSF building, or by calling the HSSF administration office. Those who register and pay in full now will receive the early registration pricing; prices increase $100 on November 1, 2011.

CARSON CITY – As Nevada policy makers get set to examine the state’s public employee pension plan in advance of the 2013 legislative session, a new report from the Center for State and Local Government Excellence offers some timely advice on how other government agencies have accomplished the difficult task.

Even 10 years later, Nevada City, Calif., knows how Carson City feels. In 2001, an insane man walked into the Nevada County, Calif., Behavioral Health Department and shot and killed a 19-year-old r...

League to Save Lake Tahoe Executive Director Rochelle Nason has resigned today, effective October 2011, after nearly 20 years of working to protect and restore Lake Tahoe.

League Program Director Carl Young will serve as interim executive director, with Nason serving as a senior advisor, until a new executive director has been selected.

This weekly column addresses topics related to the health of our community.Most people think sleep is not that important. After all, you aren't really doing anything while you're asleep, right? Wro...

Right now is not a good time to be a senior citizen in Nevada if you have limited funds and poor health, and live in a rural county. Also, if Medicare is your only insurance, you can forget eyeglas...

A bat in Carson City has tested positive for rabies, according to Carson City Health and Human Services. There is NO known human exposure to the bat. Rabies is a deadly viral disease that affects the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). People get rabies from the bite of an animal with rabies. You can also be exposed to rabies if infected saliva or tissue containing rabies gets into a fresh wound (one that has bled within 24 hours) or the eyes, nose or mouth.

A bat in Carson City has tested positive for rabies, according to Carson City Health and Human Services, but there is no known human exposure to the bat. The bat was picked up by Animal Services on...

By the California Department of Fish and Game
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has confirmed reports of dead red abalone and sea stars inside coves along the coast in Sonoma County.
The number of dead and dying abalone is not known but reports have come from Bodega Bay, Russian Gulch, Fort Ross, Timber Cove and Salt Point State Park, beginning on August 27.
DFG biologists and game wardens have collected abalone, mussels and water samples and are continuing to document reports from the public.

By the UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center
Members of the public will be able to visually immerse themselves in two of the best-known lakes in the United States, thanks to a $2.3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to UC Davis' Tahoe Environmental Research Center.

Names of those killed in yesterday's IHOP shooting are:

• Major Heath Kelly, 35, Reno, decorated field artillery officer, husband and father, commander of Joint Force Headquarters in Carson City, served in Iraq 2004-2005. Avid student of military history, known for his dry sense of humor. See story
• Sgt. 1st Class Christian Riege, 38, Carson City, father of three, served in Afghanistan 2009-2010, also served in U.S Navy for two years before joining the Guard
• Sgt. 1st Class Miranda McElhiney, 31, Reno, owner of a small baking company, well known in the company for providing cupcakes for guard functions. See story
• Florence Donovan-Gunderson, 67, South Lake Tahoe. See story

According to Sheriff Kenny Furlong, the names of those wounded are not going to be released at this time.

One of those wounded is Wally Gunderson, husband of Florence Donovan-Gunderson, who died in the attack.

See all stories on IHOP Shooting

This column addresses topics related to the health of our community.On Friday, the movie "Contagion" is coming to Galaxy Fandango Theater in Carson City, and public health professionals from the he...

NORTH LAS VEGAS — Gov. Mitt Romney on Tuesday presented a detailed economic plan he said would generate 11.5 million new jobs, lead to 4 percent annual growth, and turn America into a “job machine.”
Romney made a point of saying he would be speaking without a teleprompter before addressing a crowd of over 300 at McCandless International Trucks in North Las Vegas, a city struggling due to high unemployment rates and municipal budget troubles.

5:30 p.m. Update: Press conference concludes with a few more details. Officials state that shooter Eduardo Sencion had two other weapons at his vehicle, another rifle and a handgun. Neither were used in the incident. The FBI stated that there doesn't appear to be any connection to terrorism.

Sencion was born in Mexico, and had a U.S. passport.

Three victims were killed inside the restaurant, two male National Guard members, and a civilian woman. Two female and one male National Guard members were wounded. Ten of the victims were shot inside the restaurant, while one woman standing outside next to a motorcycle was shot and wounded.

Sheriff Kenny Furlong said they are still working to determine the shooter's motive, saying it is too early to tell if the National Guard members were intentionally targeted.

More stories:

Details on the shooting incident.

South Tahoe Police aware of shooter's mental health issues.

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3:30 p.m. Update: Carson City Sheriff Kenny Furlong released the name of the person suspected of shooting 11 people at the IHOP restaurant on South Carson Street this morning.

The person's name is Eduardo Sencion, 32, of Carson City. He allegedly shot himself after shooting 11 people, and died about two hours later.

Furlong said he works at his family's business in South Lake Tahoe, and that he might have had some "mental issues."

Three of the 11 victims have died, including two uniformed National Guard members. Three of the wounded were also National Guardsmen.

The other victim who died was a civilian female, according to Furlong.

The investigation into why Sencion carried out the shooting is still underway.

More stories about today's shooting

If you have any information about this incident, or would like to share your story, photos or video, please go here.

The 238 House members, many of whom are Tea Party freshmen, are from districts that have been fueled with anti-government rhetoric, who lash out against everything from health care reform to immigr...

By Claudene Wharton
A new book written by two University of Nevada, Reno social work professors, is a perfect Labor Day read, giving an in-depth look into the lives of women working in Nevada casinos and serving to remind why the national holiday exists.

Nevada consumers and small businesses can now review and comment on rate hikes in their health insurance policies online.

Nevada lawmakers today approved money to cover the costs of the upcoming special election, received an update on the progress of the state’s health care insurance exchange and complained repeatedly that state agencies were thumbing their noses at the legislative process.

Starting Sept. 1, Nevada consumers will have a greater say in the cost of their health insurance rates with the online launch of Nevada Health Rate Review by the Nevada Division of Insurance.

Nevada Health Rate Review is a new section of the Division’s website where consumers can view and comment on health insurance rate change applications from individual and small employer group health insurers including HMOs. It will launch on Sept. 1 at: http://rates.doi.nv.gov.

This column addresses topics related to the health of our community.School has been back in session for more than a week, and most families are probably adjusting to the routine of waking up in the...

Community vaccinations in Carson City will be held on Oct. 1, from 9 a.m. go 1 p.m. at Carson High School, 1111 N. Saliman Rd. Click here for more information or call Carson City Health and Human Services at (775) 887-2190.

MINDEN - It's called the loneliest road in America - the two-lane strip of asphalt that rises and falls with the empty mountain waves of the Great Basin.For Gardnerville counselor Lance Crowley,...