Nevada near bottom in health report
A national report says Nevada ranks near the bottom in a review of how well states are prepared for a widespread health emergency.
Nevada was among nine states that scored only six points out of 10 indicators. Only Iowa and Montana ranked worse.
The eighth annual report, titled "Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health from Diseases, Disasters and Bioterrorism," was prepared by the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Nevada got the same score it has received since 2005 .
The report cautions that emergency preparedness among health care providers is at risk because of state budget cuts. Nevada was one of 33 states that have trimmed public health budgets .
The report also downgrades Nevada for poor health information technology and lack of an electronic system to detect outbreaks.
Nevada received a $6.1 million federal grant to help set up infrastructure so the state can send and receive health information to health care providers and community health centers, said Lynn O'Mara, state health information technology coordinator.
But she said more money is needed to establish an electronic surveillance system, where entities around the state can quickly know, for instance, if there is an outbreak of H1N1 or hepatitis C.
