Suit threatened over closure of mentally handicapped home

Art Nadler

Tuesday, May 18, 1999 | 12:54 p.m.

A decision to shut down a state-run home for the mentally handicapped has parents and relatives of the residents threatening to file a lawsuit if Gov. Kenny Guinn doesn't intervene.

Carlos Brandenburg, administrator of the state Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, told family members Monday night that the decision was his, that it was final and there was no turning back.

His tone and demeanor only ignited opposition to his decision.

"I'm here to stand up for the mentally challenged child who doesn't have someone to speak for him," said Sherrie King, whose daughter's brother-in-law is mentally handicapped.

"It's the money," she told Brandenburg. "You might as well stop lying to us."

Brandenburg admitted his decision to close Bradley Home at 3633 Bradley St. was based on cost savings. The state pays $283 a day to house and board each of the six residents at the intermediate care facility, he said.

The residents would be moved to private supported-living homes, he said, costing the state only $140 per day for the same quality of care.

If the families don't want to do that, Brandenburg said, they could send their relatives to the Desert Regional Center, which also costs $283 a day.

The issue is not just money-driven. The Legislature actually increased the state mental health budget from $19.8 million in 1998 to $22.3 million this year, said StanLee Dodd, regional director of the division. It's scheduled to increase to $26.2 million in 2000 and to $30.4 million in 2001.

The issue revolves around others who are not receiving care.

By eliminating the six resident beds at the Bradley Home and another 12 in state-run facilities in the northern part of the state, Brandenburg said, he will save enough money to put the 155 mentally handicapped people on a waiting list into private supported-living homes.

Still, relatives of Bradley Home residents worry that their loved ones won't receive the same quality of care in private homes.

Bradley Home has been open for four years, Dodd said, and is staffed by two mental retardation technicians who have received certification from the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Requirements for staffing at private supported-living homes are not as stringent. State law mandates that administrators of such homes have bachelor's degrees in psychology, social work or a related mental health field. Their staffs need only have a high school diploma and a driver's license.

But Barbara Nielson, a representative from the Danville Services Corp., which provides staff for private supported-living homes, said that company's staff receives eight hours of orientation training and 40 hours of on-site training with their supervisors.

"We meet with the families, and DRC (Desert Regional Center) must approve all our services," Nielson said.

Brandenburg said UNLV also does yearly quality assurance checks of all private supported-living homes in Southern Nevada. There are currently 30.

Because the Bradley Home has six residents, it must adhere to Medicaid and state regulations. Supported-living homes that have four or fewer residents are exempt from those regulations.

"We love our children. The (Bradley) staff loves our children," said Pamela Acciavatti, whose 18-year-old son, Ryan, has Down's syndrome. "This is like taking fathers and mothers away from our children. You create this wonderful staff and beautiful home, and now you want to take it away."

Brandenburg told families Monday that they need to visit a private supported-living homes to ease their fears.

King said the relatives plan to contact Guinn to see if he will overturn Brandenburg's decision. If he's not receptive, she said they have already talked to an attorney who specializes in the rights of the mentally handicapped.