On Tuesday, 46 Southern Nevada emergency room beds were occupied by mentally ill individuals in need of psychiatric care.
Today, Southern Nevada's Adult Mental Health Services has half the psychiatric physicians it needs.
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Citing similar statistics, the National Alliance for Mental Illness gave Nevada's mental health care system a D- on its state-by-state report card released today.
Five states, Connecticut, Maine, Ohio, South Carolina and Wisconsin, got B's; 17 received C's; 10 were given D's; and eight received F's. No state received an A, and 10 states didn't respond.
The nation as a whole received a D in the report Grading the States: A Report on American's Health Care System for Serious Mental Illness released today. NAMI -- composed of mental health professionals, state lawmakers and family members of individuals with mental illness -- is the nation's largest grass roots mental health organization, providing support, education, advocacy and research on mental disorders.
Despite the Silver State's low score, the Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services was praised for addressing its problems openly and attempting to bridge gaps in the mental health care system.
"The key thing is we might be a D-minus, but we used to be an F. We're making progress," said Vic Davis, president of the Las Vegas chapter of NAMI.
"The state has done a good job keeping up with the up-to-date medicines. Some states don't do that," Davis said. "We've been able to get some money to help double the state's psychiatric staff and bed capacity.''
The report highlighted the Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services increase in its mental health budget by 33 percent to create 98 positions. The group also praised the state's attempt to treat the mentally ill who end up in the judicial system by funding two mental health courts, which assess needs.
Nevada and many other states jail a disproportionate number of inmates with serious mental disorders, the report said.
Jails are not staffed to care for the mentally ill and often exacerbate problems, according to the 2002 President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health report.
Jailed individuals who are mentally ill often attempt suicide, the report said. Between 1999 and 2003, there were 12 suicides at the Clark County Detention Center.
NAMI's report also praised the state's addition of psychiatric beds with the planned opening of a 150-bed hospital this summer.
In Nevada, since 2000, the number of private adult psychiatric beds per 100,000 has dropped from 10.3 to 6.
In the Las Vegas Valley, 112 private psychiatric beds were lost after Charter Hospital, Valley Hospital and Lake Mead Hospital closed beds, according to the NAMI report.
The national average of psychiatric beds per 100,000 population is 33.
When the new state hospital opens, it will boost Nevada's count to 12 beds per 100,000 residents.
Carlos Brandenburg, administrator for the state Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, said he was surprised by the state's low grade, considering all the work being done to rectify issues. He said the report didn't take into consideration the division's upcoming $91 million budget increase.
"That's a 48 percent increase which will allow us to bring 449 new positions,'' he said.
Currently, there are only 131 in-patient psychiatric beds available in Southern Nevada and, most individuals in a crisis situation either don't receive the help they need or are sent to an emergency room.
For example, Tuesday, 101 people were on legal commitment orders to remain in a hospital until they could get psychiatric care. Forty-six were at area emergency rooms and 47 were at West Care. Seven people were admitted at hospitals because they also had medical problems and one person was in jail, said Dr. Jonna Triggs, director of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services.
"These aren't voluntary folks looking for help. They are people who have been identified as being an immediate danger to themselves or others,'' Triggs said. "Last week, I got a call from an ER manager of one of our local hospitals. He said they had a woman who had been there for four days and that she had just thrown a computer screen. He said he was about to call the police. This is constant in Las Vegas. We don't have any place to put these people.
The NAMI report suggests Nevada look at several areas. They include:
• A lack of housing and community-based health services in the Las Vegas area.
• Growing numbers of mentally ill people in emergency rooms and jails.
• Lack of supportive housing for the homeless mentally ill.
• And gaps in services for the mentally ill in rural areas.
"Nevada deserves a lot of credit for being candid about its situation and for making improvements,'' said Steven Buck, director of state policy for NAMI. "We don't want anybody to be satisfied with their grades, even if it is a B.''
Buck said to compile the report each state mental health agency was asked to respond to a written survey. The responses, as well as third-party research and advocate surveys determined the scores.
Buck said the idea now is for each state chapter to take this information to their legislators so they can develop strategies to help the mentally ill.
Davis said local NAMI members are already working on priorities for the next legislative session. Their priorities include creating a medical clearance facility, establishing services for children and devising programs for the dual diagnosed. Dual diagnosis programs are those that help individuals with mental illness and substance abuse problems.
