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County Hires First Ombudsman to Resolve Family Services Disputes
County officials appointed its first-ever ombudsman, adding an extra layer of accountability that did not exist before and putting into motion a system that could serve as an agent of change within the child welfare system.
Valentine appointed Tisa Evans as Ombudsman for Dispute Resolution for Children and Families. Evans will act as an independent and impartial fact-finder to review and resolve complaints related to the Department of Family Services. Evans will also be responsible for tracking and identifying complaint trends and recommending systemic improvements.
Evans has more than 10 years of experience dealing with child welfare issues, to head the newly created ombudsman position. Most recently, Evans served as director of a state-funded adolescent residential treatment facility whose residents included children involved with Child Protective Services, mental health facilities and the juvenile justice system in Pennsylvania. Prior to that, Evans served as a behavior specialist consultant as well as a program director for a non-profit group that provided case management for various child service agencies. Evans holds a bachelor’s degree in social and behavioral sciences and a master’s degree in elementary education.
The position was tailored just for Clark County using the best practices of other programs around the country. In the past, complaints about Family Services were lodged with the same agency that was being complained about. The ombudsman position will report to the County Manager’s Office.
The position was created in response to recommendations made by the Youth Law Center, a San Francisco-based child welfare advocacy group and the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada. The County Commission adopted those recommendations in March 2007 by approving the position.
People who wish to file complaints can contact the ombudsman at 1-866-780-9541 or email Evans at evanst@co.clark.nv.us. A complaint form along with information about the function of the ombudsman can be found by going to www.accessclarkcounty.com.
Health Officials Notify Patients Of Possible Exposure to Hepatitus C
The Southern Nevada Health District is reaching out to approximately 40,000 patients of a local medical clinic to notify them about potential exposure to hepatitis C following an investigation of several acute cases of the illness. Patients who had procedures requiring injected anesthesia at the Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, located at 700 Shadow Lane, Las Vegas will begin to receive letters this week. The health district’s notification includes patients who had procedures at the clinic between March 2004 and January 11, 2008, and recommends they contact their primary care physicians or health care providers to get tested for hepatitis C as well as hepatitis B and HIV.
The health district identified a cluster of three acute cases of hepatitis C in January 2008 and has identified a total of six cases to date. Hepatitis C infections must be reported by medical providers and laboratories in Nevada and the health district typically receives reports of approximately two cases of acute hepatitis C annually. Five of the cases had procedures requiring injected anesthesia on the same day. Following a joint investigation with the Nevada State Bureau of Licensure and Certification (BLC) and with consultation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the health district determined that unsafe injection practices related to the administration of anesthesia medication might have exposed patients to the blood of other patients. The exposures did not result from the medical procedures performed.
The joint investigation identified the re-use of syringes (not needles) and the use of single dose vials of anesthesia medication on multiple patients as the potential sources of contamination. The clinic took corrective action when notified by staff conducting the investigation.
When cases were identified the health district notified the BLC and CDC. The endoscopy center holds an ambulatory surgical center license with the state and business licensing from the city of Las Vegas. Licensing regulations require a surgical center to maintain systems for quality assurance and for the governing body to oversee the effectiveness of those systems. The licensing inspection focused on rapid identification of deficient regulatory practices that were brought to the immediate attention of the center for correction. The surgical center has been issued a formal Statement of Deficiencies relating to both state licensing requirements and federal regulations for Medicare certification. The center has responded with a written Plan of Correction. The bureau will conduct additional on-site inspections to determine that the center continues to implant and maintain its corrective action plan.
The health district is also recommending patients get tested for hepatitis and HIV, as both of these diseases can be transmitted through the same unsafe injection practices identified as the likely source of transmission. However, the risk of transmission of hepatitis B and HIV is lower, and no associated cases of hepatitis B or HIV have yet been identified. The prompt identification of these infections is important, as there are treatment and/or medical management options available.
Eighty percent of people infected with hepatitis C will have no signs or symptoms. In acute cases, there is a clearly defined onset of symptoms, that may include loss of appetite, stomach pain, nausea, vomiting and sometimes jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes). Individuals with chronic hepatitis C virus and HIV infections typically are asymptomatic for many years and are often not aware they are infected. Persons with chronic hepatitis C infection may have the disease for many years without symptoms before more severe liver disease develops.
Approximately 2 percent of the general population will test positive for hepatitis C and based on the average age of the patients at the clinic, it is expected that approximately 4 percent will test positive as many people have contracted the virus through other sources. Hepatitis C is more common among people who received blood transfusions or organ transplants prior to 1992 and intravenous drug users; therefore, it will not be possible to determine if patients who test positive were infected at the clinic.
The risk to the general population is very low as hepatitis C is not spread by casual contact or in typical school, work or food service settings. It is not spread by coughing or sneezing or by drinking from the same glass used by someone who is infected. The role of person-to-person contact or sexual activity is not well understood at this time.
The Southern Nevada Health District has posted additional information on its website at www.SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict.org. In addition, the health district has set up a hotline at (702) 759-4636 (INFO) for people with questions about this notification or hepatitis C.
As we all know, roads are for the use of motorists and the speed limit for residential areas, unless posted otherwise, is 25mph. Therefore, residential roadways are not designed to be used as a play area. Residents contacted Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani concerned that there had been some dangerous situations between cars and children while the children were playing basketball in the middle of the street. When residents place basketball hoops on the sidewalk or in the roadways, it presents a tremendous safety hazard. It blocks the public use of the sidewalk and forces the street to be used as an impromptu basketball court.
Due to public safety and to eliminate any potential liabilities for you and Clark County, it is important that the basketball hoops, or any other obstructions in the County right-of-way be removed. The procedure for these complaints is as follows:
- When Clark County Public Works receives an initial complaint about a basketball hoop in the right-of-way, they request the resident place the basketball hoop back on their property.
- If the offender receives a 2nd notice about the same violation, usually a notice on the door, they are asked to contact the department regarding the encroachment issue.
- If the offender receives a 3rd notice via registered mail, the obstruction needs to be removed within five (5) days of receipt of notice, per Nevada Revised Statute, Chapter 405, Section 230 or Public Works has the authority to remove and dispose of it.
Children should be able to play safely while drivers use the public roads safely. By informing you, these types of matters will be resolved in a positive way.
Neighbors Get Help Forming a Special Improvement District
After residents of Cleveland Avenue came to Chris requesting her help to improve their street, she quickly organized a neighborhood meeting to address their concerns. The meeting took place at Jerome Mack Middle School on September 6 and was also attended by the county’s Director of Public Works and Principal Engineer, who explained the Special Improvement District (SID) process.
A Special Improvement District can help defray construction costs for public improvements (roads, curbs, sidewalks, utilities, etc.). The proceeds from a county-issued bond sale provide the revenues for these improvements. Property owners are responsible for paying back this money all at once or in installments over a 10 year up to a 30 year period of time.
County staff was asked by the neighbors to look into ways to construct permanent street improvements. They followed up the meeting by sending letters to the residents, providing them with several options for SIDs. The result of the poll found that residents were in favor of having full street improvements constructed, including 36 feet wide pavement, curb and gutter, residential driveways and sidewalks. The SID process, which takes approximately 6 months to complete, recently began and construction for the project is scheduled to begin in September. Chris would like to extend a special thanks to Denis Cederberg and Joe Yatson for all of their help in coordinating this project.
For more information on the SID Process, please click here.
Trustees Expected to Review Sewer Rates
Trustees for the Clark County Water Reclamation District on Tuesday, March 4 will review a five-year plan to amend sewer rates.
Trustees will receive a report from the citizens advisory committee that met over a period of 7 months to review the Water Reclamation District’s operations, capital improvement program and financial plan. As a result, the committee developed a set of recommendations endorsing both the rehabilitation and expansion portions of the capital program, and the financial plan to support the five-year, $1.3 billion program. There wasn't complete support though for adopting a "universal" rate.
The proposal includes a series of rate adjustments to the sewer service (annual billing) and the sewer connection (new construction) charges, including a rate adjustment for each year beginning July 1, 2008, with an increase of just under $1.00 per month. For homeowners, this would be the first proposed increase to the annual sewer service charge since 1995 and would still keep the District rates the lowest in the Las Vegas Valley.
Clark County customers currently pay a rate based upon service location: Blue Diamond, Indian Springs, Las Vegas Valley, Laughlin, Overton and Searchlight. The committee is sending a recommendation to the board to consider equalizing the rates throughout the district so all customers pay the same annual fee. A similar recommendation is included for the connection fee. If adopted, the change would mean that urban areas would be asked to subsidize the outlying rural areas.
Trustees (the County Commission) will consider whether to accept the report or give staff further direction. If accepted, the board would initiate the process to conduct a public hearing to formally consider adopting a revised rate structure. If a public hearing is set, additional information on the rate proposals will be available.
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