Northern Nevada Briefly

Gibbons urges 2nd look at flu shot rules

(AP) - Gov. Jim Gibbons on Thursday urged the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners to seek reconsideration of a judge's ruling that voided an emergency regulation allowing medical assistants to give flu shots.

Clark County District Judge Kathleen Delaney this week voided the board's Sept. 18 approval because of Open Meeting Law violations.

Gibbons in a written statement said his office as been "flooded" with calls from concerned parents and doctors.

The emergency regulation would have permitted medical assistants to give flu shots and other vaccines, but prohibit them from injecting cosmetic drugs such as Botox.

Some Nevada health clinics prohibited medical assistants from giving the shots last month after regulators' review of a 30-year-old state law found that medical assistants were not authorized to give them.

Gibbons then sought the emergency regulation, saying he feared there wouldn't be enough health care professionals to inoculate people during the upcoming flu season unless the regulations were clarified.

At the medical board hearing, some board members had to leave for luncheon engagements, so the panel voted unanimously to pass the regulations before it lost its quorum.

The action was challenged by a lawyer for two medical spa owners, who argued the approval violated the Open Meeting Law because the vote was taken before all public comment was heard.

The judge agreed and voided the action.

Thompson to chair utilities commission

(Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau) - Gov. Jim Gibbons has named Sam Thompson to chair the Nevada Public Utilities Commission.

Thompson has served on the PUC since July 2007. He replaces JoAnn Kelly, who will remain as a member until Thompson's replacement is named.

Thompson also serves on the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Committee on Electricity and as an adviser to the New Mexico State University Center for Public Utilities.