File photo of hospital. (photo: MARCO LONGARI/AFP/Getty Images)
(Las Vegas, NV) — Nevada officials believe they have a plan to deal with recent problems mental health patients are causing for local hospitals.
Several emergency rooms were forced to close their doors to ambulances last month, citing a large number of mentally ill patients causing a shortage of bed space.
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services proposes expanding the availablity of community triage centers, and working with local hospitals to increase in-patient psychiatric services.
The department is not asking the state for additional money, but are looking into ways to adjust the current budget to fund the proposed changes.
