Mental health center’s safety issues addressed

Thursday, Jan. 11, 2001 | 10:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Structural defects at the state's mental health center in Las Vegas have prompted fire safety concerns for the estimated 60 patients being treated at the facility.

Extra precautions have been ordered until the construction problems are solved and the center passes a state safety inspection.

Jim Northrop, director of the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Clinic, 6161 W. Charleston Blvd., said Wednesday he's confident that the added steps will adequately protect the patients. He has to present a plan of corrections to the state Bureau of Licensure and Certification by Jan. 20.

Walls in some parts of the building, constructed in the late 1980s, do not reach the ceiling. Northrop said inspectors found this would allow flames and smoke from a fire to spread from room to room. Pipes going through concrete walls were not properly sealed, and that could aid the spread of the flames.

The ventilation system also needs improvement, officials said.

Northrop said a dozen steps have been added to enhance safety. The center holds more frequent fire drills and more frequent checks on the fire alarm system and the fire hose valves. More attention has been paid to the procedures to get patients out in case of emergency.

The state Bureau of Licensure and Certification conducted an inspection in January 1999 and finalized its findings in the summer of that year that the center had major defects in complying with the fire code.

The state Public Works Board then received about $250,000 in emergency funds from the Legislative Interim Finance Committee in November 1999 to begin work.

The job started in August last year, but when the ceiling was removed, 20 to 25 new potential defects were uncovered, Northrop said. He said he has been working with Public Works, the licensure bureau, the state risk manager's office and others to determine the full extent of the problem.

"My efforts have been directed to defining the problem and coming up with a plan," Northrop said. The agency may need $500,000 to $600,000 that it doesn't have in its budget.

In the meantime, Northrop has applied to the licensure bureau and the Federal Health Care Financing Administration for a one-year extension to complete the repairs.

The state stands to lose $1.7 million a year in reimbursement from the federal government for paying for the patients if the center does not meet the standards.