Board of Examiners approves contract with prisons, university system

The Board of Examiners on Monday approved a contract between the Department of Corrections and the university system to evaluate programs designed to reduce recidivism among newly released prison inmates. The $232,296 contract is part of a near-$1 million federal grant that Director James Dzurenda said is designed to change the culture and reduce the number of inmates who commit new offenses and return to prison. The university system will help develop improved programming to help inmates become successful in society after their release. He told lawmakers last week that it’s important because 88 percent of the state’s 14,000 inmates will eventually return to the streets.

The board also agreed to double the number of Medicaid managed care providers in Nevada from two to four.

Acting health Care Financing and Policy Administrator Marta Jensen said that includes the two current providers, Health Plan of Nevada and Amerigroup. She said beginning in July, Medicaid recipients also will be able to look at health plans from Aetna and Silver Summit.

All four contracts are for a maximum $7.59 million.

Gov. Brian Sandoval asked if any of those new services would be available in rural Nevada. Jensen said they still are working on ways to provide access to managed care and other services outside the urban areas of Reno and Las Vegas but that the majority of those needing services will have access.

“The moms and kids have always been our biggest population in the urban areas,” she said.