Guinn OKs mental hospital

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | 10:57 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Gov. Kenny Guinn said today he has decided to go ahead with construction of a $32 million state mental hospital in Las Vegas, despite opposition from neighbors.

The 150-bed hospital will be built on state property at the corner of Jones and Oakey boulevards, about one-half block from the present 103-bed hospital on the campus of the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services.

"Constructing this facility near our current campus will allow for the sharing of existing state resources, provide a central location close enough for those who wish to visit their loved ones and is the most cost-effective option," Guinn said.

He said the construction will permit residents of Southern Nevada to "have access to quality mental health treatment in a modern and therapeutic environment."

But Juanita Clark, a leader of the neighborhood opposition to the hospital site, said this was not the end of the fight to stop the construction. "We are doing further investigation into the way it was approved."

Guinn, she said, "is certainly not leaving a legacy for himself and his party." She said it was a "given" there would be escapes from the hospital. Most of the patients are not dangerous but some are, she said. And they are confined because they are a danger to themselves and others, she said.

Located within a half-mile of the proposed location are a community college, child-care center, a school and a church, Clark said. She said a private school that would be just across the street has indicated it would move if the hospital were built.

She said there have been "cover-ups" by state officials in the past when patients escaped from the present hospital. There are six groups representing 56,000 residents in the adjoining neighborhoods that oppose the location, she said.

Las Vegas Councilwoman Janet Moncrief, whose Ward 1 includes the hospital site, said she wished the City Council could have had a public hearing and a greater say into the state's decision.

The City Council in March refused to take a vote on the hospital because any decision the state made could not be overturned.

"We could have helped with the setback and shrubbery," she said, the sort of amenities that buffer a neighborhood from a building.

But, she added, "I will support whatever the governor decides."

Clark said that the state officials in charge of the hospital were "very good about avoiding the public."

The state's schedule calls for bids to be opened in December and construction to start in December or January. Completion is planned for early spring of 2006, said Carlos Brandenburg, director of the state Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services.

Brandenburg stressed that criminally insane persons would not be housed in this new hospital. Rather the same type of patients who are being treated at the present hospital would be admitted to the new hospital.

"When I met with Mayor Oscar Goodman, I assured him that we would follow all the city planning commission's recommendations and that we would become a positive addition to the neighborhood," Brandenburg said.

Brandenburg said it would use the same design as the Dini-Townsend mental hospital in Sparks, which has two sets of doors before the patient can get outside. He said there have not been any escapes from that hospital.

Brandenburg said he, state Human Resources Director Mike Willden and others will decide what the present hospital should be used for. He said there are suggestions it be a unit for the elderly or possibly a triage center.

He said he wanted to keep the facility licensed so that if there is an overflow at the new hospital, patients could be housed at the old center.

Clark County Manager Thom Reilly said the citizens of Southern Nevada "owe a debt of gratitude to the governor. This facility will help address a tremendous need for treating the mentally ill."

"The lack of mental health beds in Southern Nevada has created a serious hardship for the citizens of Clark County," he said.

Lacy Thomas, chief executive officer for University Medical Center in Las Vegas, said the hospital can have seven to eight psychiatric patients in the emergency room on any given day. They are awaiting transfer to an inpatient psychiatric facility.

"Because of the lack of available mental health hospital beds, psychiatric patients end up waiting for hours waiting to be transferred to an appropriate psychiatric care facility, which is not in the best interest of these patients," Thomas said.

But Denise Reitz, another leader of the opposition, said she was disappointed but not surprised that Guinn made the decision. She said the governor was bent on locating the hospital at the chosen location from the beginning and did not consider alternate sites.

She said 511 beds are needed in Southern Nevada for the mentally ill, so the planned hospital is already too small and will have to be moved in the future to another site. "It's a waste of taxpayer money."

Reitz said the neighborhood already has a multitude of government and nonprofit agencies located in the area. She suggested other sites be examined.

"It's a sad day when the governor doesn't place more credence" in those who live in the area, she said.