Senator to introduce mental health bills

Monday, April 21, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

SB319, sponsored by Sen. Randolph Townsend, R-Reno, also includes nearly $2 million for transitional housing for the mentally ill, and $1.7 million to operate a crisis unit for emergency psychiatric services at the institute in Sparks.

"The needs of Nevada's mentally ill have been seriously underfunded in the past," Townsend said. "Many state leaders have recognized that we cannot stay with the old funding formulas - much more needs to be done."

"The proposals in this bill are all tried and proven programs that work," he added. "They are basic and fundamental."

Carlos Brandenburg, administrator of the Division of Mental Hygiene and Mental Retardation, says he welcomes the measure and the attention mental health programs are getting from the Legislature this session.

But he said the impact of Townsend's bill on the state budget isn't as great as the total suggests because some of the needs are being addressed already. He added Gov. Bob Miller's budget already provides for an increase of nearly 27 percent in mental health service spending.

One example he cited is money for medication for patients. Townsend's bill includes $5.8 million for medications, but he said a separate bill is already in the works to appropriate that money.

Miller also is looking at alternative ways of funding a new inpatient hospital at the Mental Health Institute, he said.

Townsend's measure also would augment a proposal for transitional housing already in the budget, by increasing the number of beds from eight to 16 and expanding it from northern Nevada to southern Nevada as well, Brandenburg said.

Legislative budget committees will determine which of the many programs outlined in the bill should ultimately get financial support.

Members of both Senate Finance and Assembly Ways and Means expressed an interest early this session in providing more financial support to mental health programs, which suffered severe budget cuts in 1992 during a national economic slowdown.

Townsend's bill also would provide:

-$1.4 million to establish two PACT, or Program for Assertive Community Treatment operations, one in the north and one in the south. The new program, which involves intensive case management for a small number of mentally ill people, has worked well in other states, Townsend said.

-$364,000 for an outreach program in southern Nevada to evaluate and treat senior citizens at risk of mental illness.