People struggling with mental illness could have a new place for treatment in the coming months. Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve says a building on the Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services campus is slated to open as early as September. The new facility and program are intended to help people before it is too late.
"I'm really excited about this," Schieve said. "Actually, it's probably one of the most exciting things I'll ever be able to get to be a part of."
Schieve says mental illness has been largely ignored for a long time and that the pandemic has created a mental health epidemic.
"We have to start paying attention to this," Schieve said. "I think this is the biggest epidemic that we have ever seen and we've got to start talking about it and start to address it. We're seeing such high rates of suicide and addiction and trauma that we're constantly seeing from the fallout of this pandemic, so it's needed now more than ever."
The mayor says the state is giving the building to the city for this program. That would normally cost approximately $10 million. The facility will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"Mental illness never stops. It's not a 9-5 issue," Schieve said. "It can continue. It can be days, it can be months, it can be years."
The building is getting some upgrades before it can open. It will also need a staff to handle the patients.
Sheriff Darin Balaam has been vocal about the Washoe County Detention Facility being the largest mental health unit in the region. Schieve says this program will reduce the number of inmates and take the pressure off the officers who make the arrests.
"You shouldn't have to have a loved one arrested to get them help," Schieve said. "I mean, it's crazy and our jails are so full. We've got to stop treating our jails like mental health hospitals, and quite honestly, a lot of our ERs are not equipped to deal with mental health."
The program is based on a model used in Arizona for about the last 10 years. It is called a two-minute warm handoff. Schieve says taking potential inmates to the mental health facility will save thousands of dollars.
"They literally will take them there and it's two minutes and if an officer takes someone to the jail, it's actually two-and-a-half hours of intake," Schieve said.
Schieve says the facility is a game-changer for northern Nevada but says there is also a need for support from other jurisdictions and cities that share the same issues.
She says the new facility will be available to anyone experiencing any mental issues from depression to schizophrenia. The facility will be set up like a living room, which she says is more appropriate for the patients.
"It looks like a living room, so you're not feeling overcrowded or ashamed," Schieve said. "Part of the problem is the stigma is so massive."
