Overview
Community Health Nursing (CHN) is a public program focused on the
overall health of individuals, families, and adolescents, with a priority to
the underserved, underinsured and low-income populations. CHN offers a broad
range of family planning, infectious disease, and related preventative health
services. CHN operates eight community health nursing clinics in rural and
frontier Nevada. These clinics are located in Dayton, Ely, Fernley, Pahrump, Panaca, Tonopah, Winnemucca,
and Yerington.
CHN has a sliding fee schedule for available services based on
eligibility requirements. Eligibility determination includes providing proof of
income. Services are not denied due to inability
to pay. CHN accepts various private insurance as well as Medicaid. CHN accepts Medicare
for limited services, which includes some immunizations.
Mandatory Essential Services Include:
- Investigation and reporting infectious disease
- STI: identification, control, prevention, and treatment
- HIV: testing, counseling referral for treatment
- TB: screening, control, prevention, and referrals for treatment
- Vaccine clinics scheduled as necessary for outbreaks
- Emergency preparedness activities such as participation in Local Emergency Preparedness Committees, Points of Dispensing exercises, and Board of Health meetings
Optional Essential Services Include:
- Family Planning and Reproductive Health
- Preventive Health Care
- Adult and childhood immunizations
- Breast and cervical cancer screenings through PAP testing and referrals for mammograms
- Laboratory testing for sexually transmitted infections, communicable diseases, and pregnancy determination
- Well Child Screenings
- Outreach and education
- Referral to primary and specialty care
- Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services, limited to hemoglobin and lead testing