As Nevada's population of those with mental heatlh problems grows, the state has determined that it cannot spend as much as it did previously.
According to a Reno Gazette Journal Article dated November 30, 2007, the new Reno triage center may have its budget cut after Governor Jim Gibbons ordered state agencies to submit lists for an 8% budget cut this month. This cut was an increase from an original 5% cut due to declining sales and gaming tax revenues.
The triage center is a center to help homeless people with mental health or substance abuse problems receive proper treatment and care. According to a Reno Gazette Journal Article date January 18, 2005, at the center, people can go through emergency detoxification or be transferred to another specialized facility for help. The idea is to put less strain on jails, hospital emergency rooms, and courts by dealing with these patients in a more personal manner.
The patients can stay up to 72 hours for psychiatric treatment, detoxification and non-acute urgent care. The facility will also have a women's and children's center, a soup kitchen, and a variety of other resources.
According to a February 14, 2005 Reno Gazette Journal Article, this center was originally being created on the tail of a mental health emergency in the hospitals in Las Vegas. The legislation providing funding for a triage center in Las Vegas and also appropriated some funds to have a center set up in Reno to curb a similar health emergency.
Bristlecone Family Resources will be the facility that runs center at a cost of $1.8 million a year. This cost is to be split up between the state, local government, and private institutions.
The city of Reno has already spent $1.3 million dollars and five years on this project to date and the facility was set to open on January 1, 2008.
No decisions have been made by the governor to confirm whether the budget will definitely be cut for the center.
