Sen. Pazina blocks nurse fix while Nevadans wait hours in ERs

By Annie Black  

Nevada News and Views

Nevada is in trouble when it comes to healthcare. We’re short on doctors. We’re short on nurses. And we’re running out of time.

So what’s State Sen. Julie Pazina doing about it?

Not much — unless you count protecting her political donors.

Let’s start with the facts:

Nevada is short more than 2,500 doctors. That’s according to a report from the National Library of Medicine.

On top of that, the doctors we do have are getting older.

The average age of Nevada’s allopathic physicians — those are your standard M.D.s — is 61.2 years. That’s not a good sign for the future.

And then there’s the nursing shortage.

As of this year, the Nevada State Board of Nursing says we’ve got more than 1,000 open nursing jobs statewide. By 2030, that number could climb past 3,100.

It’s a full-blown crisis. And there’s a simple fix that would help overnight: join the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).

This compact lets licensed nurses from other member states come work in Nevada without jumping through a bunch of hoops.

It’s already working in 41 other states. States like Arizona, Texas, and Florida have seen faster hiring and better staffing in hospitals.

But Nevada? We’re not part of it.

Why? One word: unions.

Powerful labor unions, like SEIU Local 1107, are against the compact. They say it could hurt local bargaining power.

But the truth is, they don’t want out-of-state nurses coming in and giving Nevadans more options. And the politicians they bankroll are doing their bidding.

In 2024 alone, union groups gave more than $1.6 million to Nevada legislators. That’s not pocket change. And Sen. Julie Pazina is right in the middle of it.

Pazina, a Democrat who took office in 2022, chairs the Senate Committee on Natural Resources.

That might not sound like a big healthcare role, but behind the scenes, she’s been part of the roadblock against the Nurse Compact.

Sources from inside the Legislature say she’s been toeing the union line — not because it’s what’s best for Nevada, but because it’s what’s best for her next campaign.

Here’s the kicker: during the COVID pandemic, even Nevada knew it had to act fast.

In 2020, the state issued an emergency directive allowing out-of-state nurses to work here without delay. That move helped save lives. And it proved that the compact model works.

So why won’t Sen. Pazina support it now?

Simple. She’s not listening to patients. She’s listening to the people writing the checks.

Even some Democrats are starting to feel the heat. Voters across the state are asking why it’s taking so long to fix something so obvious.

You don’t need a degree in healthcare policy to know that more nurses = better care. And with thousands of trained professionals ready to work, there’s no excuse for keeping them out.

Of course, union leaders say they’re protecting Nevada workers. But let’s be honest — what good is protection if there’s nobody left to work the shifts?

Hospitals are overworked. Patients are waiting longer. And lives are being put at risk.

It’s time for leaders like Sen. Pazina to stop playing politics and start doing what’s right. Nevada needs more nurses. Nevada needs the NLC.

And if she won’t support it? Then Nevada needs a new senator.

*

Annie Black is a former Mesquite City Councilwoman and former Nevada State Assemblywoman