Residency program in psychiatry urged for LV

Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2002 | 8:46 a.m.

Southern Nevada needs a facility dedicated to emergency medical services for mentally ill patients and a residency program to train psychiatrists to staff it, community advocates told the Legislative Committee on Health Care Tuesday.

Dr. Ole Thienhause, director of psychiatry for UMC, said Southern Nevada is in dire need of comprehensive emergency services for mentally ill patients. Ideally, a dedicated facility should be built near an existing hospital so that the patients would have easy access to other services, Thienhause said.

Establishing a psychiatric residency program with the University of Nevada School of Medicine would help ensure such a facility could be properly staffed, Thienhause said.

Despite the population explosion in Southern Nevada, there has been no increase in either resources or planning for the mentally ill, Thienhause said.

Thienhause's proposal drew support from Sen. Ray Rawson, R-Las Vegas, the chairman of the legislative committee. Rawson urged Thienhause to work with the committee's staff and submit a complete proposal no later than mid-summer. Mental health services in Southern Nevada have clearly reached the breaking point, Rawson said.

Dr. Dale Carrison, director of emergency services at UMC, praised Thienhause's proposal. Mentally ill patients pile up in the emergency room because the state's acute care hospital has only 10 beds, which are usually full, Carrison said. Nevada is also facing a shortage of psychiatrists, and a residency program would increase the pool for Southern Nevada, Carrison said.

Surveys show that most physicians end up practicing within 300 miles of where they did their residency, Carrison said.