09/17/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2026
Lyon County Accepts $4.29 Million Rural Health Transformation Grant to Strengthen Emergency Medical Services and Rural Healthcare Access
Yerington, Nevada – On Thursday, September 17, 2026, The Lyon County Board of County Commissioners formally accepted a $4,289,351 grant award from the Nevada Health Authority through the Rural Health Transformation Program, funded through the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. The grant will support emergency medical services and related rural health system improvements throughout Lyon County through August 30, 2027.
The grant represents the culmination of several months of planning and collaboration between the Lyon County Office of Emergency Management, Lyon County’s four Fire Protection Districts, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office, and Lyon County Human Services to identify investments that can make a meaningful difference in access to healthcare services while strengthening public safety.
Lyon County will provide centralized grant administration and program oversight through the Lyon County Office of Emergency Management, in coordination with County administrative and fiscal staff. This centralized approach allows the County to manage the grant requirements while supporting the fire districts in implementing the project within their existing EMS organizational structures.
The grant will provide critical resources for each of Lyon County’s four fire protection districts, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch Center, and Lyon County Human Services, including: six additional single-role EMT/paramedic positions across three of the four fire districts, an ambulance for each district with mobile integrated health capabilities, cardiac monitors, mechanical chest compression devices, medication inventory management, motorized stretcher systems, enhanced dispatch software capabilities, as well as an assessment of EMS and Lyon County Human Services Case Management billing practices to identify opportunities to maximize eligible reimbursement and improve the financial sustainability of these services. In addition, it will provide quick-response vehicles to access patients in rural remote areas across Lyon County during all weather conditions.
Lyon County encompasses more than 2,000 square miles of rural and frontier communities. In 2025, 78.5 percent of calls for service to Lyon County’s four fire protection districts were medical calls, representing 7,149 of 9,106 calls. The county’s rural geography, long travel distances, limited healthcare provider availability and clinic hours, and transportation barriers can result in residents relying on 911 as an entry point into the healthcare system regardless of the acuity of their needs.
The pilot project, “From Dispatch to Doorstep: Improving Rural Health Outcomes through Integrated Emergency Response Systems,” is designed around a simple concept: matching the right resource to the right patient. By building toward a tiered-response approach, EMS can determine the appropriate resource for each call to 911 as well as identify opportunities to refer patients with non-emergent needs to the most appropriate healthcare and social services. The program aims to reduce unnecessary demands on emergency services and emergency departments while ensuring critical EMS resources remain available for life-threatening emergencies.
The initial grant period runs from September 2026, through August 30, 2027, with the opportunity for Lyon County to apply for up to four additional years of Rural Health Transformation funding, subject to future federal and state program requirements and funding availability.
Other Board Actions
During the meeting, the Board also took the following actions:
Approved an ordinance amending Lyon County Development Code Title 15, Chapter 320, Table 4 to establish Post-Secondary, Trade, or Technical Education as a Conditional Use in the Heavy Industrial-Rural and Heavy Industrial-Suburban zoning districts.
Approved the transfer of real property, APN 008-043-07 owned by Lyon County and located on Main St. in Silver City near the Donovan Mill to the Comstock Foundation for History and Culture to be used for charitable and civic purposes.
Authorized Commissioner Keller to attend the National Association of Counties (NACo) 2026 Fall Board of Directors Meeting and Building Better Futures: A County Leaders’ Symposium on Youth Outcomes in Mecklenburg, North Carolina December 3-5, 2026.
Approved a letter of recommendation to the Governor’s Office for Tyler Minor to continue to serve as representative of Lyon County on the Carson-Truckee Water Conservancy District.
The complete agenda and back up materials are posted online at www.lyon-county.org/Agendacenter. Residents can view recordings of Board of County Commission meetings on the Lyon County YouTube Channel.
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Central Lyon Fire
North Lyon Fire
Yerington/Mason Valley Fire Protection District
Smith Valley Fire Protection District - NV
Lyon County Human Services
Lyon County Sheriff's Office - Nevada
