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If I Ran the Nevada Health Authority… We’d Put the Healers Back in Charge of Healing

By: Matt Brandenburg, OTD, OTR/L

You ever notice… how every time a politician or health bigwig drops a hot take on "lifestyle medicine" or "root-cause health," it's like they're reading straight from occupational therapy's greatest hits playlist? 

Take that recent video from HHS Secretary RFK Jr. (yep, the controversial one that's got anti-vax Twitter act’n a fool, Former Surgeon Generals speaking up and Big Pharma boardrooms clutching their pearls). He's all, "Hey America, vaccines and pills are cool and all, but over the past 50 years, real health gains have come from lifestyle changes, environmental modifications, improved access to clean water, good food, exercise, and accessibility to public health resources to ditch the junk." Bold? Absurd? Revolutionary? Whatever you call it… OT's been advocating root-cause care since the early 1900s, before "lifestyle redesign" had a hashtag.

And yet, in the same breath as this wellness epiphany from HHS, the feds slashed OT reimbursement in the latest Physician Fee Schedule.

One minute they're hyping functional health, the next they're kneecapping the pros who actually deliver it. If I Ran the Nevada Health Authority, we'd flip the script: no more gaslighting the healers. We'd embed OT in every federally funded initiative, from rural health transformations to community wellness hubs, and blast our peer-reviewed evidence like it's a season finale trailer. Because babe, ignoring OT in the age of chronic disease reversal? That's like filming Vanderpump Rules without a single SUR-ver to stir the drama. Occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) are out here delivering priceless health wins, but the system isn't taking note. 

Exhibit A: The Healers vs. The Hustlers – Capitalism's Got Healthcare in a Headlock

When OTP work with individuals, families, groups, and populations, we don’t just see ICD-10 codes, we see people. Our theories (PEO, MOHO, EHP, anyone?) facilitate treatment plans that help families cook Sunday dinners, seniors stay safe at home, or teens enjoy life while practicing mindfulness. We're licensed for preventive care, chronic disease reversal, mental health support, home modifications, accessibility, and equity-driven intervention that improves health and well-being while saving systems money. We’ve got more evidence than a Kardashian has filler: Reducing hospital readmissions, preventing falls, promoting independence, improving mental health, and strengthening primary care practice.

But step into today’s workforce, and it's like stepping into Shark Tank, gone wrong. Managers chase 90+% productivity quotas to pad their bonuses, while the C-suite suits and insurance execs obsess over spreadsheets and shareholder smiles. Healthcare is run like a Vegas casino where the bottom-line trumps bedside manner, and the house always wins. 

The side effects? Burnout city for healers (contributing to steady workforce decline), skyrocketing inequality in health outcomes (evident in rural Nevada gaps), and health inequities widening faster than the drama between Meredith Marks and Jen Shah. When profits come before people, outcomes crash, and the poor get sicker while the rich book wellness retreats.

And just next door in Utah? Lawmakers made it illegal for hospitals to negotiate with unions. Nevada wouldn’t dare follow suit (Or elect the executive director of the Nevada Business Alliance and candidate for Nevada Assembly District 8 right?). We're the state of bright lights and bold moves, not quiet compliance.

Exhibit B: When Greed Wins, Everyone Loses (Except the Yacht Owners)

Real-world tea: In August 2025, Sunrise Hospital workers in Las Vegas rallied against their corporate owner, HCA Healthcare, for putting profits over patients (Nevada Current). Union reps waved signs screaming “Invest in Us!” while HCA raked in $7 billion in annual profits. Meanwhile frontline healers were stretched thinner than Lisa Vanderpump’s patience during a James Kennedy meltdown. 

Understaffing delays care, spikes readmissions, and drives healers out of the profession. For context, the average staffing of NV hospitals is reportedly34 percent lower than the national average 

This greed spiral isn’t just bad vibes; it’s a public health crisis. Unchecked profit-chasers fuel a two-tier system: boutique wellness for the elite, and scraps for everyone else. Chronic diseases like diabetes snowball, while preventable falls and readmissions drain Medicare. Supporting union efforts like Sunrise’s isn’t just warm fuzzies, it’s strategic. Empowered workers stay in Nevada, care improves, and equity gaps shrink. It’s the difference between a healthcare system that heals and one that’s a slot machine for suits.

Cue the applause: after months of organizing, nearly 300 healthcare pros at Sunrise locked in their first union contract with SEIU Local 1107. It is the largest successful hospital union vote in Nevada history, with 78% voting yes. OTP, PTs, SLPs, social workers, and lab techs now have 12% raises, 100% employer-paid health premiums, and actual seats on staffing and care committees.

As Cristina Hooper, a medical social worker at Sunrise, put it: "Our first union contract is the foundation that will empower us to attract and keep professionals, and give us a seat at the table to represent our patients and ourselves”. Kalani Kauwe, a PT there, nailed it too: "We want to develop the same mutually respectful relationship with management to address problems and create positive solutions."

This isn't just a win for Sunrise, it's a neon-lit beacon for Nevada's entire healthcare scene. When healers have power, recruitment rises, burnout drops, and care improves, all without tanking the bottom line. Imagine if every facility across the state followed suit.

Exhibit C: OT's Ready to Lead the Charge – Because We're the Original Lifestyle MVPs

OTP aren’t just reacting to this broken system, we’re the fix. We reverse diabetes through habit training, prevent falls, and boost mental health for underserved Nevadans. 

The Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) is our runway. Embedding OTP into hubs like Comagine Health’s Southern Nevada Pathways network means workforce training, chronic care management, and interprofessional collaboration that includes a health equity framework (exactly what Nevada needs). 

NOTA is already connecting with organizations like The Nevada Center for Excellence in Disabilities, National Nurses Organizing Committee, Make the Road Nevada, joining NVHA workshops, providing public comment, and offering pilot study proposals.

Because here’s the truth: Nevada needs more healers (not hustlers who think “cost-benefit analysis” is a love language) calling the shots. Nevada needs OTP that bring the evidence, empathy, and boots-on-the-ground grit to make Nevada the healthiest state west of The Rockies.

My Proposal: Healthcare in the Hands of the Healers (With a Side of Accountability)

If I Ran the Nevada Health Authority, I'd roll out a glow-up plan that's part policy powerhouse, part reality TV reunion special, complete with dramatic reveals and zero tolerance for BS:

Mandate Healer Seats on Every Board and Stakeholder Meeting – Require frontline clinicians (OTP, nurses, PTs, MDs, SLPs, etc.) on hospital boards, NVHA panels, and initiative groups. Healthcare’s had enough spreadsheet geniuses. Time to add some real-world empathy and experience.

Establish the "Healer Council" (AKA the Council That Actually Sees Patients) – A standing NVHA committee of real practitioners who review reimbursement, workforce, and policy proposals. People-first, not profit-first.

Protect Union Rights – Pass legislation supporting collective bargaining. Partner with Sunrise’s team and professional associations to guarantee that healers’ voices are heard, respected, and amplified appropriately. 

Amplify OT in Federal Funds – Embed OT into RHTP pilots and Pathways hubs. Track cost savings, document outcomes, and showcase OT as Nevada’s ROI queen.

Launch a "Healer All-Stars" Campaign – Crowdsource stories from Nevada OTP and allied health professionals, turning them into punchy videos and op-eds to inspire the next wave of advocacy and reform.

Enact the OT Licensure Compact – Join 35 other states in breaking down borders to care. Passing this legislation means greater access to occupational therapy services, a stronger Nevada workforce, and fewer barriers for practitioners serving where they’re needed most. 

In Closing: Give Rue the Mic and Let Nevada Heal

We all know (and revere) Rue, the Hunger Games hero whose heart, morality, and quiet strength made her unforgettable, yet whose vulnerability left her silenced by a system stacked against her. Too often healers are left feeling abandoned and betrayed by the systems and corporations they operate within. It’s time to hand Rue the mic. Because when healers have a voice, the system starts IMPROVING.

Sunrise’s union victory showed us what’s possible when workers organize for better care. Imagine scaling that same energy across Nevada’s community hubs, turning burnout into belonging and corporate greed into collective power.

Nevada’s healthcare future shouldn’t be decided by who has the flashiest PowerPoint or biggest yacht. It belongs to the people who know what healing feels like, the OTP, PT, SLP, MD, PA, RN, and allied pros who keep our communities upright, resilient, and thriving.

So let’s channel our inner bombshell: Strut into those NVHA meetings with data sparkling brighter than a Vegas marquee, ethics fiercer than Lisa Vanderpump’s shade, and a plan to make Nevada the healthiest state west of the Mississippi. Ready to join the revolution? Because babe, OT’s been singing the functional health anthem forever, now it’s time we headline the show.

Sincerely,

Your Vice President of Making Occupational Therapy Cool Again (VPOMOTCA) in waiting,

Matt Brandenburg OTD, OTR/L