(Note: I serve as the Executive Director of the Nevada Chapter of the AAP, but I am posting this strictly as a private citizen. These views are my own.)

We don't need a ballot initiative to solve a 'problem' that schools are already managing with care; we need a focus on the actual crises impacting Nevada’s youth.

Every school community already has the ability to handle issues regarding trans athletes privately and with nuance, doing what is best for all students involved.

Judge rules Lombardo’s trans athlete ballot initiative can proceed — but with new description - The Nevada Independent A description of the proposal’s effects must say it would carve out an exception to the state Constitution’s guarantee of equal rights regardless of gender identity.

Nevada kids are struggling with education, access to mental/physical healthcare, and the literal air they breathe—between indoor smoking rates and wildfire air pollution—it is heartbreaking to see the Governor prioritize a divisive political move like this.
thenevadaindependent.com/article/judg...

2/17/2026 - Joint Interim Standing Committee on Health and Human Services YouTube video by Nevada State Legislature

www.youtube.com/live/X55weJh...

It’s time for Nevada to choose: do we prioritize market profits, or do we finally invest in clinical excellence, medical oversight, and family unification? Let’s keep our doctors here and our families whole. 🏛️💙 #NVHealth #SocialDrivers #Equity #SocialDriversOfHealth

As a voter in SD8/AD2 with a formal education in economics from Columbia/Barnard, the data is undeniable: the most successful states have tax structures that actively reduce income inequality. We are taxing the health of our children to avoid taxing the wealth of our state. 🏛️📉

The AAP is clear: accredited birth centers like Serenity are the safest out-of-hospital setting. Their CABC accreditation ensures the medical oversight & safe transfer protocols families deserve. This is the model we should scale, not unlicensed silos.

I celebrate Kendall Spencer from the NCSL for shifting the language to "Social Drivers" and "Nonmedical Drivers." She hit the nail on the head: data is our gap. We have a massive opportunity to use Rural Health Transformation grants to fund Epic Community Health platforms. 📈

HealthyChildren.org - From the American Academy of Pediatrics HealthyChildren.org - Powered by pediatricians. Trusted by parents.

Important discussion from Chair @TracyBrownMay on grandparent education. Parenting has changed! We need to meet our elders where they are. I recommend HealthyChildren.org and our local NV AAP "Ask the Pediatrician" webinars. They are the gold standard for safe sleep and modern care. 👵👴👶

Postpartum mental health is non-negotiable. We already have a "next step" in Nevada: NV PAL. Thanks to the leadership of Dr. Lisa Durette, our pediatricians have peer-to-peer support to manage mental health in the medical home. We need to fund and scale this proven success! 🧠💪

The "Brain Drain" is real. I’m watching our UNLV resident graduates leave NV—not for money, but for better-governed markets. They are burnt out by a system that prioritizes profit over established medical standards and lacks the anchor of a children’s hospital.

A major takeaway: Best practice says stable newborns in recovery should room-in. In Las Vegas, financial incentives often push babies into the NICU instead. When profits drive clinical decisions over best practices, families and the state lose. We need a PQC to enforce these standards.

Just wrapped up at the Nevada Interim Health Committee. Brilliant clinical data from Dr. Iriye & Dr. Woodard, but the underlying message is clear: Nevada is at a crossroads. We can't have "First World" health outcomes on a "shoestring" budget. #NVLeg #MaternalHealth

Nevada nowhere near meeting 2030 greenhouse gas emission goal  - The Nevada Independent Nevada fell well short of its greenhouse gas emission-cutting goals in 2025, and it’s poised to be much further behind when the bar raises again in 2030.

Another reason why voting matters.

thenevadaindependent.com/article/neva...

"How do you have patience for people who claim they love America, but clearly can't stand Americans?"

By not joining this public health alliance, Gov. Lombardo is threatening our tourism industry by putting politics over public health & safety. The Nevada way is to be a free thinker—just like Republican Gov. Sandoval who broke with his party to expand Medicaid.

Democratic governors form a public health alliance in a rebuke of Trump They're framing it as a way to share data and messages about threats, emergency preparedness and public health policy at a time when the federal government isn't doing its job in public health.

They're framing it as a way to share data and messages about threats, emergency preparedness and public health policy at a time when the federal government isn't doing its job in public health. n.pr/48PdMQj

Galileo's famous quote is "And yet it moves" ("Eppur si muove"), allegedly muttered after being forced by the Inquisition to recant his support for the heliocentric model of the solar system. Reality beats dogma - eventually. Shame to those who make others suffer by trying to legislate away reality.

Christian group ‘deceived’ supreme court about LGBTQ+ research, cited scholars say Exclusive: Experts say Alliance Defending Freedom, arguing to revive conversion therapy, ‘profoundly misrepresented’ their work in case threatening trans and queer youth

Christian group ‘deceived’ supreme court about LGBTQ+ research, cited scholars say www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

UNLV broke up its diversity office. Students wonder whether it’s a change in name only. - The Nevada Independent Many students at UNLV, even if they didn’t personally participate in DEI programs, acknowledged that they provide important resources to the campus community. Several of the students interviewed by Th...

"And yet it moves" thenevadaindependent.com/article/unlv...

Doctors urged to treat pain for IUD insertion and other procedures A major medical group now recommends pain-blocking treatments for IUD insertion and other procedures amid a growing recognition that women's pain should be treated.

I want to say better late than never, but I can't. I reported extreme pain 25 years ago when I got an IUD and was dismissed. I want acknowledgement, an apology, and a seat at the table to make sure this gets fixed. www.npr.org/sections/sho...

I haven't done it yet because I'm afraid of letting the President's top campaign donor access my phone.

In my life I have received a half dozen or so jury summons -- I think it's typical for someone my age. Today I received a card saying I was a prospective federal juror and to scan a QR code to complete a questionnaire.

Sleep Deprivation in Nevada Teens Terence R. McAllister, M.D., FAAP

nevadaaap.org/blog/f/sleep...

Lawmakers try again to shield gender-affirming care providers from other states’ crackdowns  - The Nevada Independent Lawmakers try again to shield gender-affirming care providers from other states’ crackdowns. Read more from The Nevada Independent.

Lawmakers try again to shield gender-affirming care providers from other states’ crackdowns  thenevadaindependent.com/article/lawm... @trm99.bsky.social

So incredibly proud to have Dr Steven Shane on the Board for the Nevada Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Doctor makes case for expanding Nevada Medicaid coverage of anti-obesity drugs • Nevada Current State lawmakers are considering expanding the types of obesity treatments covered by Nevada Medicaid, including approving weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for wider use and bariatric surgery for minors....

Doctor makes case for expanding Nevada Medicaid coverage of anti-obesity drugs nevadacurrent.com/2025/03/19/d...

Despite great advances in medicine and developmental science, pediatric health care has not evolved to address many of the current critical challenges to child and adolescent health. www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/imp...

From my perspective, using the settlement funds to invest in today's youth will give us the best return on our investment. A significant percentage of children were directly impacted by the opioid crisis, and all children are at risk of addition themselves. uhfnyc.org/publications...