NMC Collaborates with State Senator Dr. Pat Spearman
Following a presentation at the Nevada Legislative Committee on Healthcare on Nevada Medical Center’s Data Portal and Healthcare Report Card given by NMC Board member Dr. Florence Jameson and NMC President Julie Murray, Senator Spearman connected with NMC to form a collaborative partnership to raise awareness and conduct policy analysis on the mental health challenges faced by far too many Nevada youth. NMC facilitated several conversations and a subsequent whiteboard session with policy leaders, corporate funders, direct service providers, educational and foundation leaders, and others in order to gain a clear understanding of the issues, successes, gaps, and opportunities facing Nevada’s youth as they relate to mental wellness. As noted in the 2018 NMC Healthcare Report Card, Nevada has one of the highest suicide rates in the country and earns a grade of F for its high prevalence of mental illness among Nevada’s youth population. Like NMC, Senator Spearman is committed to address this issue by ensuring our state provides additional resources which include expanding the scope of suicide prevention training in schools and to require counseling and other resources be provided to students and school employees who have experienced an attempted suicide or who have contemplated suicide. NMC is privileged to work with Senator Spearman as her compassion, determination, and commitment to improve mental wellness for Nevada’s youth is remarkable.
On Friday, March 15th, NMC President Julie Murray and Project Director Kristy Keller in partnership with Lady GaGa’s Born This Way Foundation Deputy Executive Director Rachel Martin, and Community Outreach Coordinator for the Tuck and Run Foundation Trista Miller, provided testimony for the Nevada State Legislature in support of Senator Spearman’s Senate Bill 204. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/80th2019/Bills/SB/SB204.pdf