Hospital admissions still lag for offenders with mental issues

Nevada’s only maximum-security psychiatric facility is still struggling with the timely admission of court-ordered patients, a condition of a federal lawsuit settlement, according to a defense lawyer and state records.

Renovations to a facility that could provide a long-term fix to the problem are scheduled to be completed in September, but lawmakers in the upcoming session would need to approve more project funding to hire staff. Lawmakers say funding for mental health services is likely to be approved because the need is clear.

“I’m disappointed that there hasn’t been a greater change,” said Clark County Deputy Public Defender Christy Craig. “I recognize the difficulty in terms of space at Lake’s Crossing Center and the financial difficulty that they face, but the jail has the same financial issues, and frankly, the clients have rights, which the state has acknowledged.”

Lake’s Crossing in Sparks is the state’s only center for evaluating and treating offenders who have been referred by the courts because of mental competency issues.

The facility was supposed to provide treatment to inmates within 21 days of receiving a court order from a judge, according to a case settlement filed on Jan. 29, 2014. As of this Thursday, the Sparks facility is supposed to provide treatment to court-ordered patients within 14 days.

And by no later than Sept. 1, the facility is supposed to provide treatment to inmates within seven days of receiving the court order.

However, on several occasions in the Dec. 30 status report filed by the state with the court, patients were not getting into the hospital within the required 21 days. The report covered the last half of 2014.

On rare occasions, patients were admitted within as short period of time as eight days.

State officials continue to deal with the challenges of space limitations and transportation, said Dr. Tracey Green, Nevada’s chief medical officer. Officials are double-bunking patients when possible to maximize bed capacity, and patients are being transported by ground as well as air when possible.

Flights scheduled by Las Vegas police can only transport six to eight offenders twice a month.

Inclement weather, space limitations on the aircraft and mechanical problems often interfere with air transportation, which can prevent admission from happening within the required time frame, said Mary Woods, spokeswoman for the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.

State officials are looking at the opportunity to use beds at a building on the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital campus in Las Vegas while the remodeling of Stein Hospital, on the same campus, is completed, Green said. They are also looking at the possibility of adding beds at Dini-Townsend Hospital, a public psychiatric hospital in Sparks.

“We continue to work very hard to meet the consent decree in a timely manner,” Green said last week.

Craig said she might reach out to state officials soon to see if they can implement the interim plans, which consist of the additional beds in other hospitals.

The long-term solution is opening Stein Hospital, which would fill the role of Lake’s Crossing in Southern Nevada.

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s proposed budget provides more than $20 million as a major budget initiative to staff 47 psychiatric beds at Stein, according to Woods. The state would have to hire about 154 employees.

If approved by lawmakers, the statewide bed capacity for evaluating and helping restore the mental competency of offenders, would increase from 86 to 133, she said.

But the real concern is whether that will happen, Craig said.

State Sen. Moises “Mo” Denis, D-Las Vegas, said anything can happen during the legislative session, but also believes that everyone understands that mental health needs are a priority.

There’s a lot of new lawmakers, who were elected in November, but as long as they are up to speed with what’s happening with mental health, they will likely be supportive of the funding for Stein Hospital, he said, especially as it involves a federal court issue.

State Sen. Debbie Smith, D-Sparks, agreed.

“It’s really critical that we get Stein staffed and up and running so that there’s access to people who need the forensic facility rather than us bringing everyone up here,” she said Friday.

She can’t imagine anyone who wouldn’t support that particular item, given the legal issues.

“We are going to have issues if we don’t get that done, for one thing,” she said. “But it’s the right thing to do to have the facility in Southern Nevada, where most of the patients are from.”

State Sen. Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, and chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, said there’s a need for more beds and more caregivers in mental health, and funding will be part of the discussion.

“I think there will be funding approved,” he said. “I don’t know how much, but I think the discussion will show that yes, we have a need.”

Assemblyman James Oscarson, R-Pahrump, and chairman of the Assembly Health and Human Services Committee, said the committee will also look at all the options and opportunities in the mental health area.

“Everyone will come together and work together for what’s best for the people in the state of Nevada,” he said Friday.

But what could happen if funding for staff is not approved by lawmakers?

Green said state officials have not begun to look at the possibility of moving staff from other areas to operate the hospital if funding is not approved.

“I don’t believe that we currently have staff that has open time to go staff the hospital,” she said. “We would have to take a look at the whole organization. We have not begun to take a look at those options.”

Craig said if the facility doesn’t open in the fall, she might return to federal court for a remedy.

Contact Yesenia Amaro at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440. Find her on Twitter: @YeseniaAmaro.