The Central Nevada Health District (CNHD) received a formal letter of resignation from Dr. Antonina Capurro on April 27, 2023. Effective immediately, any inquiries or collaborations with CNHD should be made through Caleb Cage as acting Administrator.
Capurro was hired by the board in a special meeting on March 2, 2023, with a start date of March 20. She was given one week for relocation activities, starting work in the office on March 27, at a salary of $133,494 annually.
During the meeting, Human Resources Director Geof Stark explained that the offer made to Capurro included an advancement in step placement from Step 5, as originally authorized by the county commission, to Step 13 which they authorized during their March 2 meeting along with class and specification and pay range increases for the seven positions created in the new health district.
Before the motion to approve Capurro’s offer was made, County Commissioner Justin Heath stated that according to the public record effective in February 2022, Capurro was reprimanded by the dental board for practicing without a license. Heath voted no on the appointment.
According to the Nevada State Board of Dental Examiners, Capurro was awarded a Limited Dental License in August of 2014, after graduating in 2011. That license expired In June of 2021.
In February of 2022, the Board of Dental Examiners issued an order for Capurro to receive a public reprimand and was instructed to reimburse the board for attorneys’ fees in the amount of $244,107 and costs of $32,552 on Count I, failing to meet the requirements for a limited license to practice dentistry, and Count II, performing clinical procedures outside the scope of her Limited License.
Efforts to contact Capurro went unanswered.
Cage stepped in to complete the work toward completion of needed organizational activities of the district to meet a state deadline of July 1, 2023. He has worked with the CNHD, before inception, for the past year and ensured a strong start to the first rural Nevada Health District and can be reached at 775-666-5748 or [email protected].
According to a press release issued by Churchill County Public Information Officer on Monday, May 1, anyone with meetings or outstanding requests involving Dr. Capurro, should contact Cage to ensure a seamless transition.
CNHD stands ready to serve its partner jurisdictions of Churchill, Pershing, Mineral, and Eureka counties and the City of Fallon.
The Health District Board is set to meet on May 4, at 3 p.m. to hear an update on filled and unfilled employee positions, including steps for recruitment and hiring of unfilled positions at an increased step on the pay scale.
They will also hear an update on district progress in preparation for the July 1 deadline with the state.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the communities of Churchill, Eureka, Mineral, and Pershing Counties, as well as the City of Fallon, agreed to form the Central Nevada Health District to serve the small, dispersed, and diverse populations in rural communities by leveraging existing resources to reduce gaps and expand services to the communities. The establishment of the Central Nevada Health District was approved by the State of Nevada Board of Health on December 2, 2022, per NRS 439.370. It is the third Health District approved in the State of Nevada, the first to include multiple communities and the first to serve rural communities.
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