Las Vegas NowNew Health Officer Has Big Job Ahead

New Health Officer Has Big Job Ahead

In the midst of the valley's health crisis, the founding dean of UNLV's School of Public Health has been put in charge of leading Nevada's hepatitis investigation.

Doctor Mary Guinan was appointed by Governor Jim Gibbons as Nevada's acting state health officer. That means she's in charge of making sure laws and regulations regarding public health are followed, but more importantly, she wants to get to the bottom of the valley's hepatitis scare.

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And she's got a lot of work to do. She's now is in charge of figuring out why clinics reused syringes and vials, possibly exposing 40,000 people to infectious diseases. More importantly, she needs to make sure it never happens again

"We have the opportunity now, everyone's attention is on it, that we can fix it and I believe that is what we do. In public health, people are always saying Nevada is worst in X, Y or Z. Well, what are we going to do about it?" she said.

Dr. Guinan's top priority is the hepatitis investigation, making sure everyone affected is identified immediately.

"Those who are identified need to be ensured they have access to quality health care and we give them the assurance they have that care," she said.

Guinan wouldn't comment on how she felt about the current health crisis saying she hadn't yet reviewed what's been done in the investigation. She said all her decisions will be based on facts.

"I want to do evidence based decision making, no shooting from the hip. Let's do it. Let's find out what the information is. Let's work and make sure the people know we are working for them," she said.

According to the State Health Division, the health officer's position has been vacant for 10 months. When questioned on whether that vacancy contributed to the valley's current problem, Governor Jim Gibbons had a sharp response, "No, I do not."

Now this doctor is left with a big task. She's fully aware the decisions she makes today will help shape the future of health care in Nevada.

The state says the position was vacant because it was difficult recruiting someone with enough experience.

Dr. Guinan was state health officer from 1998-2002. She also held several positions with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for more than 20 years.

She is heading up to Carson City to meet with the health division and CDC and review findings from the hepatitis investigation to figure out what needs to be done next.

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