Editorial: Plan would add beds

Friday, Aug. 27, 2004 | 8:57 a.m.

The state's original plan for its new psychiatric hospital at Jones and Oakey boulevards was to open it with 150 beds in early 2006 and then add another 40 beds at some point in the future, as a second phase of construction. The Nevada Division of Mental Health and Developmental Services, however, is now asking that the two phases be combined, so the hospital will have all 190 beds on opening day.

On Sept. 15 the division will ask the Interim Finance Committee to provide it with $2 million, so it can get a head start on planning for the combined phases. And it will ask Gov. Kenny Guinn and the 2005 Legislature for final approval. We believe the division's plan should be greeted favorably, as it makes an abundance of sense given the mental health crisis in the Las Vegas Valley.

Last month, Clark County Manager Thom Reilly declared an emergency when nearly one-third of the emergency rooms at area hospitals were occupied by mentally ill patients. In response, the state agreed to add 28 beds to its current 103-bed mental health center in Las Vegas. The state also provided emergency funding and is considering more funding for WestCare, a private mental health facility supported by area hospitals and local governments. But with the state averaging just 4.5 beds for the mentally ill for every 100,000 residents, when the national average is 33 beds, it's critical that much more be done. Building the whole hospital in one phase would be an excellent start.