Friday, Dec. 19, 2014 | midnight
The Stein Hospital in Las Vegas is not on the chopping block as the state struggles to find enough money to pay for its government programs during the next biennium.
The mental hospital was closed in 2010, but more than $3 million is being poured into reconstruction of the facility as part of the state’s efforts to solve its problem with treatment of mentally ill patients in Southern Nevada.
With the shortage of state money, Gov. Brian Sandoval was asked whether he would delay opening of the hospital. He said he was “committed” to providing staffing as soon as the reconstruction is complete.
The governor has asked agencies to shave their requested budgets, but the $25 million proposed for hospital staff for the next two years is apparently safe.
The Economic Forum has projected the state will receive $6.3 billion in tax collections during the next two years, down from the $6.7 billion for the current biennium.
The governor has said he wants to revise the tax system but hasn’t revealed details.
Chris Chimits, deputy administrator of the state Public Works Division, said Thursday the reconstruction should be completed by September. The hospital, located on the campus Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital near Charleston and Jones boulevards, will have 47 forensic beds for those under court order to determine if they are mentally able to go to trial.
Those charged with crimes have been sent to the mental hospital in Washoe County to determine their mental competency.
There will also be 18 civil beds.
The state’s mental health system was criticized for busing patients out of state without instructions and resources to get treatment and care in other states. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services threatened to withhold reimbursements on grounds the health and safety of patients were in danger.
The federal agency said Rawson-Neal was out of compliance on staffing needs and fire safety standards.
Corrections were made and there was no loss of federal money.
The state Board of Examiners last month approved an additional $400,000 for the San Francisco law firm of Bingham McCutchen to defend the state against a suit by the city and county of San Francisco that complained about Nevada mental patients being shipped into their area.
That brings the total paid to the law firm to $1.9 million.
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