Nevada lawmaker says state isn't good for women's health.

2003 DEC 4 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Statistics cited by Nevada state Assemblywoman Peggy Pierce at the 2003 First Lady's Conference on Women's Health Issues were grim.

Nevada ranks among the lowest in per-person healthcare spending, and Nevada women rank below the national average for survival of breast, ovarian, cervical, and uterine cancers, said Pierce, a breast cancer survivor.

"Nevada is at the wrong end of the worst lists," said Pierce, D-Las Vegas. "Nevada must start putting resources into healthcare services."

She referred to data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute, showing Nevada had the fourth-highest cancer death rate for women in 2000, while the cancer death rate for men ranked 28th.

The state also ranked 51st among states and the District of Columbia in Medicaid spending per person in 2001, said John Sasser, statewide advocacy coordinator with the Washoe Legal Aid office in Reno.

Pierce and three other state legislators - Sen. Barbara Cegavske, R-Las Vegas; Assemblyman Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City; and Assemblywoman Dawn Gibbons, R-Reno - offered no solutions during an agenda-setting breakfast with 45 people at the conference.

The lawmakers ...