Background
On March 11, 2014, Governor Brian Sandoval issued Executive Order 2014-07 which created a Task Force on Graduate Medical Education (GME) and directed it to make recommendations in a report to the Governor on how to increase the graduate medical workforce in Nevada. The Task Force recommended that the Governor fund additional residency slots and that funding be available to both public and private institutions to either expand or create new GME programs.
As a result of the Task Force’s recommendations, the Governor requested and the Legislature appropriated the sum of $10 million ($5 million in FY2016 and $5 million in FY2017) for the purpose of GME. The primary focus of the additional slots was for primary care and mental health. On November 13, 2015, the Governor issued Executive Order 2015-30, reestablishing the GME Task Force to act as an advisory body and provide recommendations to the Governor on how best to distribute the GME funds allocated by the Legislature, and directed the Governor’s Office of Science, Innovation and Technology (OSIT) to manage a grant process to distribute the funds and report on the results.