The purpose of this report is to provide Nevada’s suburban, rural, and frontier county governments, community partners, and public health authorities with a baseline of public health services in their county and their regional counties utilizing a nationally recognized framework. The goal is to provide local infrastructure data that can be analyzed alongside local health indicators and community health needs assessments to support strategic decision-making for community health improvement.

The use of the national Foundational Public Health Services1 model enables local and state public health agencies in Nevada to benchmark progress with other states, leverage data to secure federal funding for targeted improvement efforts, and more robustly consider Nevada’s public health policy and infrastructure from a national perspective. Nevada’s baseline public health services as defined in statute represent only a subsection of responsibilities outlined in the national model.

In addition to baseline data collection, the purpose of the assessment was to elevate the conversation on local public health. With stronger relationships and more open lines of communication between state and local partners serving the same communities, comes greater understanding, community utilization of services, and oversight of current programs and investments.

Through the assessment process, it was identified that improved communication and information sharing is critically needed between public health agencies, local governments, and the communities served. Towards this end, this report aims to improve knowledge of Nevada’s public health system (see: Background and Critical Context) at the local level and to empower public health authorities and local governments to address communication and other gaps as resources allow in ways that align with each county’s unique vision and need.

There are links to the health authority strategic plans, policies, dashboards, and websites, as well as resource directories for select services to allow this report to function as both a study and a guide to public health in Nevada’s suburban, rural and frontier counties.

For the complete report, use the link below to download the PDF version.

 
Amy Hyne-Sutherland, PH.D., Marlene Rebori, PH.D., Joseph Lednicky, Sierra Frykberg 2024, Foundational Public Health Services in Suburban, Rural, And Frontier Nevada, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno

Extension Associated Contacts

 

Also of Interest:

 
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All Decked Out
Challenge yourself with All Decked Out! Draw a card, complete the matching exercise, and stay active as you work through the deck.
Lindsay, A. 2026, University of Nevada, Reno Extension
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Basket Battle
A fast-paced, team-based activity where participants race against the clock to collect balls from the opposing team’s basket and return them to their own. This challenge promotes movement, focus, teamwork, and friendly competition in a fun and engaging format.
Lindsay, A. and Heleman, N. 2026, University of Nevada, Reno Extension
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Beach Ball Basketball
A fun, light movement activity where participants gently toss and catch a beach ball while engaging in simple coordination and teamwork. This challenge encourages focus, connection, and low-impact physical activity in an easy, approachable way.
Lindsay, A. and Heleman, N. 2026, University of Nevada, Reno Extension
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Boop the Balloon
A light, movement-based activity where participants keep a balloon in the air by gently tapping (“booping”) it without letting it touch the ground. The goal is to stay present, engage in safe physical movement, and maintain focus while working individually or together.
Lindsay, A. and Heleman, N. 2026, University of Nevada, Reno Extension
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Build your Brain with Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are essential for brain health. They help build and protect brain cells, support memory and learning, and aid communication between different parts of the brain.
Lindsay, A. and Heleman, N. 2026, University of Nevada, Reno Extension
 

Associated Programs

Thomas Harris speaking to group of Nevada Economic Assessment Project Stakeholders at an update meeting

Nevada Economic Assessment Project (NEAP)

NEAP focuses on providing Nevada’s counties, state and federal agencies, and their partners with quantitative and qualitative baseline data and analyses to better understand the demographic, social, economic, fiscal and environmental characteristics, trends and impacts.