A.B. 337
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ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 337–COMMITTEE ON
HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
(ON BEHALF OF THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON SENIOR
CITIZENS, VETERANS AND ADULTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS)
MARCH 3, 2025
____________
Referred to Committee on Health and Human Services
SUMMARY—Creates programs related to dementia.
(BDR 38-456)
FISCAL NOTE: Effect on Local Government: No.
Effect on the State: Yes.
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EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.
AN ACT relating to dementia; requiring the Aging and Disability
Services Division of the Department of Health and
Human Services to establish and administer a dementia
care specialist program; setting forth certain requirements
for the program; providing for the establishment of the
Nevada Memory Network for the diagnosis of dementia
and the care of patients with dementia; setting forth
certain requirements for the Nevada Memory Network;
and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law requires the Aging and Disability Services Division of the 1
Department of Health and Human Services to establish and administer a program to 2
provide the community-based services necessary to enable a frail elderly person to 3
remain in his or her home and avoid being placed in a facility for long-term care. 4
(NRS 427A.250) Existing law also authorizes the Division to establish and 5
administer a program of all-inclusive care for the elderly. (NRS 427A.255) 6
Section 1 of this bill requires the Division to establish and administer a 7
program for dementia care specialists in this State. Section 1 requires the goals of 8
the program to include: (1) developing and providing certain crisis intervention 9
services for persons with dementia and their families and caregivers; (2) proactively 10
supporting persons with dementia and their families and caregivers; and (3) 11
providing access to the program through translation and interpretation services for 12
persons with dementia and their families and caregivers where such persons have 13
limited English proficiency. Within the limits of legislative appropriations and any 14
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other money available for this purpose, section 1 requires the Division to: (1) 15
prepare requests for proposals for the provision of services by dementia care 16
specialists employed by local governmental agencies or nonprofit organizations to 17
carry out the program; and (2) partner or contract with an appropriate educational 18
organization to provide training to dementia care specialists and evaluate the 19
program. 20
Existing law creates the Task Force on Alzheimer’s Disease within the 21
Department of Health and Human Services and requires the Task Force to develop 22
a state plan to address Alzheimer’s disease. (NRS 439.508-439.5085) Section 2 of 23
this bill authorizes the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Medicine and 24
the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, in collaboration with the 25
Department, to establish the Nevada Memory Network as a system for the early 26
detection and diagnosis of dementia and the ongoing management of care for 27
patients with dementia. If the Network is established, section 2 requires the 28
Universities and the Department to establish clinics, or contract with clinics who 29
meet certain criteria, in order to: (1) train providers of primary care in screening for 30
and treating dementia; (2) diagnose dementia in patients referred to such clinics; 31
and (3) create plans of care for patients with dementia, using telehealth when 32
appropriate, in order to provide such services. Section 2 also requires the Network, 33
if established, to employ or contract with community health workers who specialize 34
in dementia care for the provision of certain services. 35
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Chapter 427A of NRS is hereby amended by 1
adding thereto a new section to read as follows: 2
1. The Division shall establish and administer a program for 3
dementia care specialists in this State. 4
2. The program established pursuant to this section must 5
have as its goals, without limitation: 6
(a) To develop and provide crisis intervention services for 7
persons with dementia and their families and caregivers, 8
including, without limitation, services that provide an initial crisis 9
response, crisis stabilization and long-term care for persons with 10
dementia who exhibit behavioral problems. 11
(b) To proactively support persons with dementia and their 12
families and caregivers to ensure the highest quality of life 13
possible and to enable persons with dementia to remain in their 14
own homes or with family and avoid placement in a facility for 15
long-term care by, without limitation: 16
(1) Providing information, assistance, education and 17
support to persons with dementia and their families and 18
caregivers; 19
(2) Facilitating the development of communities in this 20
State where persons with dementia may remain safe and active; 21
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(3) Providing training to governmental agencies and 1
nonprofit organizations that provide services to persons with 2
dementia; and 3
(4) Raising awareness of and developing community 4
support for persons with dementia and their families and 5
caregivers. 6
(c) To assist persons with dementia and their families and 7
caregivers with limited English proficiency by providing access to 8
the program through, without limitation, translation and 9
interpretation services. 10
3. Within the limits of legislative appropriations and any 11
other money available for this purpose, the Division shall: 12
(a) Prepare requests for proposals for the provision of services 13
by dementia care specialists employed by local governmental 14
agencies or nonprofit organizations to carry out the program 15
established pursuant to this section. The Division shall establish 16
such requirements for the requests for proposals as it determines 17
necessary. 18
(b) Partner or contract with an appropriate educational 19
organization to: 20
(1) Provide training to dementia care specialists. 21
(2) Evaluate the program established pursuant to this 22
section. 23
4. The Division may adopt regulations necessary to establish 24
and administer the program established pursuant to this section. 25
5. As used in this section, “limited English proficiency” 26
means a person who reads, writes or speaks a language other than 27
English and who cannot readily understand or communicate in 28
the English language in written or spoken form, as applicable, 29
based on the manner in which informati on is being 30
communicated. 31
Sec. 2. Chapter 439 of NRS is hereby amended by adding 32
thereto a new section to read as follows: 33
1. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Medicine 34
and the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine, in 35
collaboration with the Department, may establish the Nevada 36
Memory Network in accordance with this section. If the Nevada 37
Memory Network is established, the University of Nevada, Las 38
Vegas, School of Medicine, the University of Nevada, Reno, 39
School of Medicine and the Department shall: 40
(a) Establish or contract with clinics that employ or contract 41
with physicians who specialize in neurology, neuropsychology and 42
geriatrics to: 43
(1) Train providers of primary care in screening for and 44
treating dementia; 45
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(2) Diagnose dementia in patients referred to the clinics by 1
providers of primary care; 2
(3) Create plans of care for patients with dementia; and 3
(4) Use telehealth where necessary or convenient to carry 4
out the duties prescribed in subparagraphs (1), (2) and (3). 5
(b) Employ or contract with community health workers who 6
specialize in dementia care. The community health workers shall: 7
(1) Coordinate care and provide referrals to community-8
based services and in-home care for patients diagnosed with 9
dementia pursuant to subparagraph (2) of paragraph (a); and 10
(2) Monitor the well-being of and provide support to 11
persons who provide care to patients diagnosed with dementia 12
pursuant to subparagraph (2) of paragraph (a), including, without 13
limitation, providers of respite care to such patients. 14
2. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, School of Medicine, 15
the University of Nevada, Reno, School of Medicine and the 16
Department may collaborate or contract with any additional 17
persons or entities as necessary to carry out the provisions of this 18
section. 19
3. As used in this section: 20
(a) “Community health worker” has the meaning ascribed to it 21
in NRS 449.0027. 22
(b) “Telehealth” has the meaning ascribed to it in 23
NRS 629.515. 24
Sec. 3. 1. This section becomes effective upon passage and 25
approval. 26
2. Sections 1 and 2 of this act become effective: 27
(a) Upon passage and approval for the purpose of adopting any 28
regulations and performing any other preparatory administrative 29
tasks that are necessary to carry out the provisions of this act; and 30
(b) On July 1, 2025, for all other purposes. 31
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