State allocates money for housing the mentally ill

By Cy Ryan

Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013 | 1:55 p.m.

The state took another step Tuesday to shore up the system that treats mental patients in Clark County.

The state Board of Examiners unanimously voted to allow the use of $826,000 in federal funds to create housing for those with longterm mental or substance abuse problems.

The state Division of Public and Behavioral Health was authorized to sign a contact with Central Recovery Treatment LLC to provide 38 beds for longterm patients.

Nevada’s Chief Medical Officer Tracey Green said this would allow some patients at the Rawson Neal Mental Hospital to be moved to the new recovery facility.

Services would be available to help these patients get back on their feet.

Green said, “It would give them a place to live and to become active citizens in the community.”

These longterm patients usually require 18-24 months of rehabilitation and sometimes it could be longer, said Green.

State and legislative leaders have already approved $5 million to rehabilitate the former mental hospital in Las Vegas to provide beds for patients under civil or law enforcement mental health holds. But that project won’t be completed until 2015.

Rawson Neal faces loss of federal funding for the Medicare patients it treats unless it clears up deficiencies cited by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid.

Rawson has submitted a plan of correction and inspectors for the federal agency will conduct an unannounced visit to determine if the problems have been solved.