Editorial: Emergency will have to wait

Thursday, Oct. 13, 2005 | 8:11 a.m.

In the summer of 2004 Clark County Manager Thom Reilly declared an emergency as beds in hospital emergency rooms were increasingly being filled with mentally ill patients. The state, which is responsible for mental health programs, responded immediately.

One of its solutions was to place 50 mentally ill patients at WestCare, a Las Vegas drug and rehabilitation center.

WestCare also responded by seeking appropriate licensing, which was finally approved on Friday. With the emergency ongoing, WestCare was prepared to immediately accept patients from the hospitals.

But Las Vegas suddenly announced that the WestCare facility isn't properly zoned for its new use. WestCare President Richard Steinberg asked if the city would consider the emergency and speed the zoning change. The city said no; zoning changes normally take two months because they require public hearings.

Here's a case where the city could have been a team player. Knowing of the state's well-publicized plans for WestCare, it could have notified Steinberg last year that a zoning change would be needed. The hearing and all the paperwork could have been done while WestCare was waiting for its license.

It is actions like this that contribute to the city's reputation for being callous toward mentally ill homeless people.