Health District employees work tirelessly every day to safeguard public safety. From food inspections to environmental hazards, SNHD provides services and regulatory supervision that affect all aspects of community life.
Clark County remains at an elevated community level for COVID-19, and the Health District strongly encourages residents to stay vaccinated and wear masks in public indoor spaces. Vaccinations are available at all Health District clinics.
Community Health Programs
The Southern Nevada Health District provides services and regulatory oversight that enormously affect Clark County communities’ and residents’ health, environment, and well-being. They work diligently daily to ensure food, public spaces, and clinical health services are safe, healthy experiences compliant with applicable laws and ordinances.
Implementing immunization programs, meeting the needs of underserved populations, or ensuring children have the care they require for thriving are all among the many duties carried out by a team of more than 500 employees in multiple locations throughout the United States. They update records, process inspection reports, grant permits, and issue birth certificates while overseeing daily operations at one of the nation’s largest local public health organizations.
One of the critical services they provide is an STD clinic. As a Federally Qualified Health Center, they provide primary preventive care and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and reproductive health concerns such as pregnancy testing and birth control counseling. Their team works towards decreasing prevalence rates through community education outreach services that are both culturally sensitive and accessible for all.
Environmental Health services provided by the Clark County Health District include plan review and inspection programs for food- and drink-serving establishments, subdivisions, child care facilities, tattoo and body piercing salons, swimming pools, public water systems, septic and underground storage tanks, and solid waste facilities – as well as monitoring all public sources and septic systems to ensure they comply with drinking water standards. This division also oversees regulations to meet those standards in Clark County.
Promoting and protecting the health of its residents is a monumental endeavor for any Health District, including efforts to reduce racial and ethnic disparities within its population through culturally relevant programs like Reach (Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Eliminate Chronic Disease). Reach funds 31 community partners nationwide who develop culturally specific interventions.
Public Health & Clinical Services
The Health District offers services and regulatory oversight that immediately impact public health – from what people eat and drink in public places they frequent or businesses they operate. Their mission is to assess, protect, and promote the well-being of Southern Nevada communities, residents, and visitors.
Community and Preventive Care (PPC) division provides community health nursing, disease surveillance, emergency preparedness/response services, laboratory services, and maternal/child health programs to the public. PPC also provides immunization clinics and tuberculosis treatment/control services at numerous locations throughout the county – some without regard for their clients’ ability to pay.
Public Health Laboratory offers clinical and testing services for infectious diseases, environmental samples, and specimens collected by various departments within SNHD. Staffed by professional scientists, these labs fulfill regional healthcare needs through scientific analysis.
SNHD’s Environmental Health department oversees plan review and inspection programs about food-serving establishments, public accommodations, subdivisions, child care facilities, tattoo and body piercing establishments, swimming pools, septic systems, solid waste systems, and underground storage tanks. Their goal is to promote public health through safe food, clean water, adequate sanitation systems, waste disposal controls, and maintaining regulations about land use planning and sewage system regulation compliance.
Health District staff are available to conduct presentations and training for groups, businesses, schools, churches, or any organization on public health, environmental health, emergency medical services, or disaster planning topics. Anyone interested should contact the division directly to organize an event or speaker.
The Health District’s Emergency Medical Training & Services (EMSTS) division oversees the training of over 3,000 emergency medical service workers – emergency medical technicians, advanced emergency medical technicians, and paramedics – at all levels – EMTs, AEMTSs, and paramedics. In addition, its staff certifies EMS personnel and approves emergency medical service agencies while serving as medical director for county emergency response teams that have become a national model. EMSTS conducts statewide emergency medical training & certification of EMTs/AEMTs/paramedics
Environmental Health & Hazards
Nevada Division of Environmental Health Services (EHS) offers regulatory oversight to public establishments in water, waste management, vector-borne diseases, and food quality. They also work to help communities address any health threats. Under their direction is an EHS Director who organizes, directs, and leads. Compliance with these topics’ local, state, and federal laws is also ensured.
SNHD officials argue that increasing fees will help them do their work and protect residents and tourists from disease-causing microbes in restaurants, tattoo parlors, schools, child care facilities, and other businesses they regulate. But critics maintain the agency already charges too much, and business owners will likely pass along any increases to customers – increasing the cost of dining out or working at facilities not licensed with SNHD.
SNHD provides administrative guidance and oversight while offering public health and clinical services throughout southern Nevada. This includes offering health and safety, community programs, epidemiology studies, environmental and occupational health, and research to protect people, animals, plants, and communities.
SNHD responded quickly during the pandemic. Their teams immediately transitioned from updating records, conducting inspections, and licensing to fighting COVID-19 on multiple fronts – testing thousands daily, performing contact tracing services, and performing other responsibilities with significant public health, economic, and social consequences for the region.
Palo Alto Networks was chosen as its partner to enable secure connectivity for its mobile workforce and keep data safe and accessible at all times, enabling frontline workers to work remotely while maintaining essential operations.
If you want to work for the Health District, please review our open positions and submit an online job application using one of the links below. You must create an account and select Username and Password before filling out your job application; once completed, your job application can be saved and accessed later for future consideration.
Healthy Southern Nevada Steering Committee
The Healthy Southern Nevada Steering Committee consists of community partners committed to improving the health of Southern Nevada. Members of this steering committee include leaders and decision-makers from organizations central to community public health systems – including government agencies, local business owners/operators/operators, and nonprofit agencies/community-based organizations. Furthermore, representatives from education, social services, and financial institutions are included in this group of representatives who aim to better health in our community.
Due to funding from the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the District has been working towards completing its Community Health Assessment using Mobilizing Action Through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). So far, they have completed the Community Themes and Strengths Assessment, while draft reports of the Local Public Health Systems Assessment and Forces for Change Assessment are currently under development.
MAPP utilizes a community-driven planning process and is focused on creating a Community Health Improvement Plan. This comprehensive effort addresses all determinants of community health – or factors that impact individuals in certain areas more or less likely to live longer and healthier lives – to reduce health disparities, improve the overall quality of life in communities, and make sure everyone has access to all resources required for wellbeing.
MAPP requires both volunteer time and resources, with SNHD currently exploring funding sources to support its creation and implementation of the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). As part of this process, an Accreditation Steering Committee (ASC) meeting has regularly guided this development, including how it should be implemented.
The ASC comprises various community stakeholders and is responsible for overseeing SNHD’s accreditation activities. At committee meetings, they strive to make sure their voice and needs are heard while working toward creating an accurate and transparent Community Health Assessment report (CHA). They remain guided by community members throughout their work together on this effort.
