Medicaid, mental health funding boosted

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003 | 2:15 a.m.

Highlights of the $1.36 billion proposed for human services in Gov. Kenny Guinn's proposed budget:

-TOTAL SPENDING: Guinn would allocate $1.36 billion, or 28 percent of all state funds, for human resources. The proposed spending over the next two years is up 35 percent compared with the current budget.

-MEDICAID: The number of Medicaid recipients in the state is expected to rise to over 200,000 by 2005. Guinn's budget would allocate funds to serve them and an additional $7 million to expand Medicaid eligibility.

-MENTAL HEALTH: The budget includes $32 million for a new 150-bed psychiatric hospital in Las Vegas. Guinn wants to spend $600,000 on the expansion of a pilot mental health court in Washoe County. He'd provide another $600,000 to serve mentally ill patients in emergency rooms. -SENIOR RX: The governor's budget would provide $5 million to expand eligibility for the Senior Rx program, which provides low-cost prescription drugs to the elderly. About 12,000 seniors would be eligible by 2005 under the expansion.

-NEVADA CHECK-UP: Guinn wants to spend $5.8 million over the next two years to increase the number of children served by the Nevada Check-Up program.