Mental health agency seeks big budget

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Friday, Jan. 7, 2005 | 10:53 a.m.

The local arm of the state mental health agency unveiled its wish list for the upcoming Legislature on Thursday, with an estimated price tag of $97 million a year -- a 70 percent increase from current funding.

Jonna Triggs, director of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, gave an overview to the Southern Nevada Mental Health Coalition of what her agency would be seeking from lawmakers when they convene in February.

Though Triggs admitted the budget increase was steep, she said it was needed, as Southern Nevada still finds itself in the grips of a mental health emergency Clark County Manager Thom Reilly declared July 9.

"I want the message to be loud and clear that everything we asked for we need," Triggs said.

Jim Osti, a member of the coalition and a grant writer for the public health preparedness division of the Clark County Health District, called Trigg's announcement "a bold move."

"I hope they don't choke on it," he said, referring to members of the Legislature.

The request, which includes about $18 million to fund the outfitting of an emergency room-type setup at the state's mental health campus on 6161 W. Charleston Blvd., has been sent to Gov. Kenny Guinn for consideration in the state budget for 2005-2006.

Whether Guinn backs the request or not, the money must still be approved in the Legislature, Triggs said. The agency's current budget is $57 million a year.

Asked by coalition members at Thursday's meeting what part of her request was "most vulnerable (to being rejected)," she said, "the bigger ticket items are the harder sell."

She said developing an emergency room at "6161," as the state campus is commonly known, is an example.

"But this is one of the most-needed items to alleviate the emergency," she said.

Reilly declared the emergency in July because a third of the Las Vegas Valley's hospital emergency room beds were taken up by the mentally ill, which happened because state law requires mentally ill patients to be physically examined before receiving psychiatric treatment, and 6161 doesn't have the staff or equipment to do those exams.

In addition, the state is short on beds for the number of mentally ill patients in the valley's growing population.

Emrgency room overcrowding continues to be a problem, Triggs said.

Osti said having the ability to do physical exams -- known as "medical clearance" -- at the state's mental health campus "really would change the way we do business in Las Vegas."

"It would consolidate all of the services available to the mentally ill in one place ... (and) at least initially, completely remove the problem of emergency room overcrowding," he said.

Triggs said that trying to leave out pieces of the puzzle she is presenting for funding could create a vicious circle of sorts.

She mentioned two other pieces -- building a 190-bed hospital and adding staff to the valley's outpatient clinics.

"If you decide the hospital is more important than outpatient care, then if you don't have adequate outpatient care you're not stabilizing people in the community and they may then wind up in the hospital," she said.

She also mentioned the walk-in emergency services provided at 6161, which need more funding, too.

Currently, she said, 16 out of 40 patients a day walk away from that part of the campus because the wait to be seen is too long.

Osti said another obstacle the funding request may encounter is whether or not state legislators see backing mental health services in terms of saving the state money.

"From the state's perspective they may think they don't have any savings from this," Osti said.

"Clark County, the emergency rooms and the EMS systems all get savings" from increasing funding for the mental health system, he said.

Osti, a former director of a center at WestCare, a nonprofit organization for the addicted and mentally ill, recalled recent tragedies involving the mentally ill that have made headlines -- including the September case of Richard Lentino, a man diagnosed with bipolar disorder who was accused of killing three family members.

"What's causing some of these problems is the fractured system we have," he said.

"I'm hoping they (the legislators) see the bigger picture -- this will save the community in human terms."