EDITORIAL: WestCare threatens to close downtown clinic serving addicts, mentally ill

The WestCare Foundation is a national chain of nonprofit treatment centers that deal with addiction and the mentally ill. At one point, its Nevada subsidiary operated four clinics, but last November it shuttered a facility on Fourth Street in Las Vegas, and three weeks ago it closed a Reno recovery center.

Now WestCare Nevada, which has operated in Southern Nevada since 1973, says it may have to pull the plug on its last remaining Las Vegas clinic, a “community triage center” located downtown. The treatment center has 50 beds and serves many uninsured or indigent patients, housing them temporarily until more long-term arrangements can be made.

At issue is the taxpayer funding that sustains WestCare. Nationally, the chain — operating in 19 states — receives most of its money from various government agencies. Reno’s KOLO-TV reported this month that the nonprofit’s 2016 annual report revealed that $94 million of its $99 million in revenue came from public sources.

WestCare blamed the Reno closure on “financial shortfalls primarily with government funding partners.” It’s pointing similar fingers to explain its difficulties in Las Vegas. The Review-Journal’s Jessie Bekker reported this week that WestCare officials say they have run up a $6 million deficit because various government agencies — including the state, Clark County and the city of Las Vegas — have “failed to live up to their commitment to make $2.8 million payments” in fiscal 2017 and 2018.

But there seems to be more to the story.

Ms. Bekker reports that both state and county officials dispute claims they have neglected their financial obligations, accusing WestCare of “shoddy record keeping.” In addition, they raised the specter that WestCare was “double dipping” by charging local governments for the same services it billed Medicare.

No doubt, the sudden closure of WestCare’s last remaining Las Vegas clinic would create a hardship for those who rely on its services. In addition, it would burden hospital emergency rooms forced to pick up the slack. “My concern is the services and the lack thereof,” said Steve Sisolak, chairman of the Clark County Commission. “That’s our only safety net. We have to do something.”

Fine. But before taxpayers pony up more money to keep the Las Vegas facility open, shouldn’t they have some assurances that WestCare’s woes aren’t the result of financial mismanagement? Clark County completed its last audit of WestCare in January and concluded that the nonprofit owed more than $1 million in credit to state and local taxpayers for services it also billed to the federal government. That and the allegations of “shoddy” accounting should raise red flags.

WestCare provides a service to the community by helping addicts and those suffering psychologically. But any resolution to the current funding dispute should include mechanisms to identify any financial missteps and make sure they aren’t repeated.