Tobacco money spread among programs

Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 | 11:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A state task force concluded two days of meetings Thursday by allocating more than $6 million toward stopping smoking and to financing health programs for children and the disabled.

This was the first distribution of money for the projects under the tobacco settlement, which will bring in about $40 million a year to the state. The biggest share of the total amount is going to finance Gov. Kenny Guinn's college scholarship program.

The largest single award went to the school of dentistry at UNLV for $800,000 the first year and $500,000 the second year. Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, a task force member and a strong supporter of the school, said the money would provide screening for juniors at 83 high schools in Nevada.

A mobile oral health clinic will make the rounds of high schools, showing student their own X-rays and pictures of people who suffer from oral cancer. This will show the teens the effects of smoking. The clinics will also offer referral services for students with problems.

The Clark County Health District will receive $500,000 for expansion of its tobacco control program.

The task force, headed by Assemblywomen Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas, and Vivian Freeman, D-Reno, split $3.1 million each for tobacco cessation programs and health care for children and the disabled. It had to cut millions of dollars from the requests in order to fit the awards within the available money.

Many groups that applied didn't get any funds.

The task forced allocated $100,000 to the American Cancer Society for its Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition. The society, which had asked for $300,000, wasn't happy.

Daniele Preitzer, of the society, told the task force she was "very disappointed" and criticized the way the grants were awarded. She singled out the dental school allocation, suggesting that didn't fit the criteria for the grants.

The method of awarding the grants, she said, did not provide an opportunity for coordination of the programs that her agency could do.

United Way, based in Las Vegas, asked for $1.1 million and ended up with $750,000 for a statewide computer program to help people access health issues quickly. United Way will be in a coalition to provide kiosks in health clinics throughout the state. A click of a button will provide instant answers on health questions.

The Nevada Community Enrichment Center received $450,000 to provide low interest loans to the disabled for such things as special equipment in a car. The Las Vegas based organization will also offer loans to small businesses to pay for disability accommodations.

WestCare Nevada in Las Vegas will receive $175,000 for each of two years to provide a detoxification center for youngsters with substance abuse problems.

After the contracts are written, the money should start flowing to the organizations within 60 to 90 days.