PHOTO/DENNIS MYERS
After giving a luncheon speech to the Nevada Women’s Lobby, domestic abuse agency chief Denise Yoxsimer had lunch. Attorney Nancyann Leeder is at right.
Medicaid co-pay? Assembly Republican floor leader Pat Hickey is proposing co-pays for indigents under Medicaid, the federal health care program for low-income people administered by state governments. Co-pays are a complicated device. The federal Deficit Reduction Act of 2006 authorized co–pays on Medicaid beneficiaries, but efforts to impose them must navigate some tricky shoals. When Arizona imposed them, they were struck down by a federal court because they were done by that state solely to keep the state budget balanced, not for “research or demonstration” purposes, as the law requires. “The administrative record reveals that the purpose of Arizona’s waiver application was to save money,” the ruling read. “There is little, if any, evidence that the [Health and Human Services] secretary considered the [research/demonstration] factors … before granting Arizona’s waiver. Thus, the secretary’s decision was arbitrary and capricious.” Hickey has said his purpose is to help keep the state budget in balance and also reduce emergency room use. That last factor is troubling, because it could discourage indigents from getting care early, exacerbating their conditions and subjecting the state to higher costs, and also make it vulnerable to lawsuits. Utah has small co-pays for some purposes and is currently considering higher co-pays for smokers. Its policy on emergency rooms: “No co-pay when the ER is used properly/$6 co-pay for non emergency use of the ER.”
Lottery talk is back A rush of Nevada lottery ticket buyers at border towns Primm and Verdi seeking an unusually large prize generated, as it usually does, a corresponding rush of news stories about whether Nevada should have a lottery of its own. Assemblymember Paul Aizley, a Clark County Democrat, unsuccessfully proposed a lottery in 2009. Such a change would require amending the state constitution, which forbids lotteries. Democrats have led in seeking a state lottery, though studies have indicated that lotteries are most likely to drain the money of lowincome workers, traditionally a Democratic constituency. In 2002, the state Task Force on Tax Policy reported, “Our analysis indicates that a lottery could produce approximately $40 million to $70 million in net revenue annually,” the report said. “However, it must be noted that these are very rough estimates based upon the experience of other states, where conditions are quite dissimilar to those in Nevada.”
Florida town faces scrutiny Since the death of Trayvon Martin, some journalists have been exploring the racial past of his home town of Sanford, Fla., where he was killed. The earliest substantive article of this sort appears to have been a Mother Jones magazine article. Then, as so often happens, other online sources harvested the Mother Jones research and recycled it into their own articles. At the Newsweek site Daily Beast, some of the same material and quotes were used, plus a new piece of information. Newsweek reported that the town’s founder, Henry Sanford (1823-1891), was “a mine investor in Nevada.” The University of Nevada Press has published a biography of Henry Sanford. Its author, University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor Joseph Fry, said, “I found no evidence of Nevada investments in Sanford’s business records, which were quite extensive.” Newsweek gave no source for its information and did not say what companies or camps in Nevada, if any, were involved. Many stories characterized Sanford as a racist, pointing to his support for sending U.S. born slaves “back” to Africa, an idea also advocated by Abraham Lincoln. But the 1891 New York Times obituary of Sanford said he was a member of an Anti-Slavery Congress in Belgium.
—Dennis Myers 6
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RN&R
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APRIL 12, 2012
Restoration Abuse agency’s new director tries to repair past damage When the Committee to Aid Abused Women set out to find a new executive director by last year, it was a sensitive task. Dennis Myers The new director would replace popular longtime director Joni Kaiser, who was also a founder of the organization. When Kaiser was forced out by the CAAW board of directors (“End of an era,” RN&R, May 12, 2011), it left a lot of hard feelings. Since then a number of Kaiser’s supporters—many of them financial contributors—have kept their distance from CAAW or shifted their donations to Safe Embrace, a different shelter program.
“If it takes nine visits, if it takes 12 visits, we are here.” Denise Yoxsimer CAAW director
The report referenced here on the rate of women killed by men in Nevada is “When Men Murder Women” by the Violence Policy Center. It can be read at www.vpc.org/press /0110dv.htm
In November, the CAAW board hired Denise Yoxsimer, one of the most sought-after women executives in the valley, who brought a golden resume with her. She has been a KTVN news producer, president and CEO of the Nevada Women’s Fund, a fundraiser for KNPB and for Washoe Medical Center. “The best comparison I can make is when UNLV bagged Rollie Massimino after they fired Tarkanian,” said one financial figure and supporter of CAAW. “No one
thought they would get someone in Tarkanian’s league.” Of course, Massimino’s tenure at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas ended badly, but CAAW is hoping for better luck with Yoxsimer. RN&R sources say morale at CAAW is good under her. Last week Yoxsimer made what she said was her first public appearance since taking on the new job in November. She spoke to the Nevada Women’s Lobby monthly northern luncheon. The group included people who were guarded toward her, including a couple of close friends of Kaiser. Addressing some of the area’s top flight women’s activists, Yoxsimer acknowledged the nature of the group. “I feel like I’m preaching to the choir here,” she said. “I know that you’ve all been very active and involved in CAAW for some time, and I am just starting to learn the organization. … I have the great privilege of following Joni Kaiser as the executive director … as the second executive director of the organization.” She talked about Nevada’s well known negative quality of life and its impact on women and families. “Nevada continues to be number one in the states relative to women being killed by a male partner—and that’s number one for the last four out of five years, so we have some serious work to continue to do in that regard.” After running down the kinds of work CAAW does and how it operates, Yoxsimer took questions. There were plenty of them.
Can you update us on efforts in Congress to kill the Violence Against Women Act? Yoxsimer: “Senator Heller became the 60th vote” to renew the act. Does CAAW have an endowment? No, “but it’s definitely a conversation I’d like us to start having.” Does CAAW have arrangements with dentists and cosmetic surgeons to help battery victims? “Not that I’m aware of, and that’s a wonderful idea.” Does CAAW follow up with its clients to find out how they negotiate the judicial system? The CAAW staff reports that there are “ebbs and flows” in how well judges understand the issues but those staffers also feel that judges make “a real commitment” by taking training in abuse issues. What does CAAW do when its shelter fills up? “We are continuing to work collaboratively with other domestic violence agencies … We also have funding that allows us to put some women and families in very dire circumstances in motels for a certain period of time. … But as you can imagine, none of [other options] last very long. … For the situations that are extremely dangerous, [a] Greyhound bus ticket” is provided. What has been happening to CAAW’s financial contributions? “We have seen contributions from individuals and private foundations have declined over the last couple of years. The need continues to grow. … We have spent some time doing some strategic thinking about our staffing and doing some consolidation of programs … to help create a smoother, congenial service for our clients.” Does CAAW serve men? Yes. Does CAAW do outreach to Latinos? Yes, both in community education and in support groups tailored to Latinos. What should we be talking to our state legislators about? “How we can do a better job [of] prevention.” Are there CAAW education programs for small children in the schools? Not yet. So far it’s mostly at the high school level. But younger instruction is “a goal and a vision that I have.” The audience was receptive to Yoxsimer and seemed particularly responsive when she talked about how vulnerable abuse victims are as they try to break away from their dangerous situations: “If it takes nine visits, if it takes 12 visits, we are here.” One person in the audience told her, “Thank you for taking that position. … It’s very appreciated, by all.”
