According to the Department of Justice, hundreds of kids are isolated in residential treatment facilities every year instead of getting treatment that would allow them to remain with their families.

Yesterday the Department of Justice released a report finding the state of Nevada is lacking in community-based options to serve children with Behavioral Health Disabilities, and that the state is over relying on residential treatment facilities.

According to the DOJ, this violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, failing to provide these services to children with behavioral health disabilities and instead relying on hospital and residential treatment facilities.

They say hundreds of children are isolated in residential treatment facilities each year, though if provided with the correct services they could remain with their families. Over a quarter of these children stay over a year in these facilities, and some of them are placed outside of Nevada, far from their homes. The children are also failing to be connected with services to help them return to their communities.

We spoke with a local doctor from the Willow Springs Center, who says some practitioners have year long wait lists to get people in for their first appointment right now because of the lack of services, but he is seeing signs of improvement.

Ethan Steever, PhD Chief Clinical Officer at the Willow Springs Center, says "There are more outpatient programs happening, Willow Springs just opened an intensive outpatient program. So, there are improvements that are happening, but I think we still have a long way to go in terms of the mental health needs of the community."

Steever says he thinks COVID played a huge role in the increase in mental health services especially for children, and he thinks the state is trying to catch up with the demand "It's just a situation where demand has just so far outstripped supply and we need to figure out how to get more caring people to more kids."

"Children with disabilities should receive the services they need to remain with their families and in their communities," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"The Civil Rights Division looks forward to working with Nevada to bring the State into compliance with federal law and prevent the unnecessary institutionalization of children."

According to Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak's statement responding to the report, the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) worked collaboratively with the Department of Justice in the review of community-based behavioral health services, sharing in the goal to improve access.

"For far too long, Nevada has not invested in the appropriate health resources for our children and our families – this new report shines a bright light on that fact. That's why, over the last year, the State of Nevada has used newly available federal resources to make historic and unprecedented investments to shore up these systems and provide immediate resources and relief to our families and children who need community based behavioral health services. My administration is committed to continuing to build on this work to create the lasting systemic changes that our children and families deserve. Funds are already being built into my recommended budget, and we look forward to partnering with experts and our community to better serve all of our children in their homes and communities." 

The following is a list of investments the State of Nevada has made in the last year: 

  • $43 million in grant funding to more than 40 private, public, non-profit and community coalitions to support behavioral health needs throughout Nevada
  • $15 million for children's wraparound care coordination and intensive case management.
  • $5 million for robust in-home treatment options which will allow children and youth to safely remain in the home while being provided intensive therapeutic and behavioral support services.
  • $4.8 million for community-based assessments and treatment options to promote healthy development, preserve the family unit, continue engagement in education, and maintain the highest levels of funding for the Clark County Clinical Division and China Spring Youth Camp in Douglas County, who are working to support multi-system-involved youth with substance use and mental health issues.
  • $3.4 million to allow Nevada's Division of Child and Family Services' Children's Mobile Crisis Response Teams (MCRT) to support Clark County School District, Washoe County School District, and the Nevada Department of Education during after-school hours when school district teams cannot provide deployment and intervention.
  • $2.9 million to support emergency and planned respite services for qualifying families.
  • $1.9 million for Family-to-Family Peer Support which provides instrumental social and informational support to families with children with behavioral health and special education needs. 
  • $5.8 million has been allocated for oversight, program management, staffing, technology and other needed supports to ensure successful outcomes.