Groups appeal to lawmakers to address mental health needs

By Timothy Pratt

Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004 | 11:14 a.m.

At a recent meeting on Southern Nevada's mental health crisis, a mother spoke of how her son's tortured mind led him to wander the streets of Las Vegas, and another woman recalled 17 suicide attempts with matter-of-fact precision.

During the same meeting, held Friday at Montevista Hospital, a coalition of 39 public and private groups issued an "action agenda" -- a wish list of sorts addressed to the 2005 Legislature for funding mental health services.

The connection between the two was obvious -- growing numbers of Las Vegas Valley residents affected by mental illness and an acute shortage of services, leading Clark County Manager Thom Reilly to declare the valley in a "mental health emergency" July 9.

The question is whether lawmakers understand the extent of the problem and how the need for more funding will stack up next to other needs in the Legislature, said Kathryn Landreth, chairman of the Southern Nevada Adult Mental Coalition, which includes area municipal governments and Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services -- the state agency dealing with the issue locally -- Metro Police and area hospitals.

The coalition's list included:

After the meeting, Landreth said there was not yet a price tag attached to the list and that the coalition will be researching costs in their Oct. 21 meeting.

Jonna Triggs, director of Southern Adult Mental Health Services, announced at the event that she was passing along her agency's funding wish list to the state budget office Monday, beginning a process that results in a final dollar amount Dec. 29.

There was overlap between the two lists, since it is the state that is charged with mental health and many services are state-run.

Lawmakers and candidates for the Legislature were also invited to the event.

Richard Fitzpatrick, a Democrat running against Republican Joe Heck in state Senate District 5, said he thought the mental health issue made "a compelling case" for lawmakers' attention.

"Everywhere you go people say there is more funding needed for one thing or another -- but this may be the best case of any of these groups," Fitzpatrick said.

"It's not only humane... it has a significant effect on lots of aspects of our community -- and what we're doing is not working," he said.

Francis Allen, a Republican running against Mark Andrews of the Independent American Party in Assembly District 4, said she needed to learn more about the issue, and that "a light has to be shone on it."

She also said mental health was "probably one of those issues that is not on the forefront for voters."

Fitzpatrick said it should be of concern to voters, since "the cost of not doing something is more in the long run, by not using resources correctly, with people in the emergency rooms and jails that shouldn't be there."

David Parks, a Democrat incumbent in Assembly Dist. 41, said "it's obviously an issue that's not going to go away."

Parks said he took a lead in the 2003 legislative session along with Sen. Ann O'Connell, R-Las Vegas, in attempting to obtain funding for a state position aimed at preventing suicide.

He also said he felt he faced "a real steep learning curve to learn the ins and outs of the problem" of mental illness.

A veteran lawmaker who has worked on four legislative sessions, Parks added that funding the coalition's entire list "could be very expensive."

"We're in effect so far behind that to play catch-up will be very costly," he said.