Written by Eric Neugeboren
nevada independent
The Nevada Legislature last week allocated about $39 million in repurposed American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to various projects, after Gov. Joe Lombardo said the state should prioritize spending in the area. After a month, about half of that money was devoted to mental health.
The state Legislature approved $14.5 million in ARP funds to renovate shuttered mental health facilities in Washoe County. Local authorities claim the facility will be a lifeline for young people in need of mental health care. Lawmakers also voted in favor of providing $3 million to a Carson City business to relocate a substance use and mental health treatment facility. The remaining funds approved (approximately $17 million for the state’s Boys and Girls Clubs and $5 million for housing for people with disabilities) were not directly related to mental health, but these projects include mental health support. It may contain elements.
Eric Neugeboren – Lawmakers last week repurposed American Rescue Plan funds to allocate about $39 million to various projects.
The state will add $6 million to unobligated ARP funds as it races to meet federal deadlines, after the Interim Finance Committee (IFC), a group of lawmakers that makes state spending decisions while Congress is in session, approved Thursday. There are dollars left. President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, providing Nevada with $2.7 billion in flexible state aid that must be allocated by the end of this year and disbursed by the end of 2026.
Lombardo told the Nevada Independent in March that mental health should be a “top priority” in allocating the remaining ARP funds (more than $40 million at the time). A week later, lawmakers lifted funding requirements for four health projects and state mental health workers. Because those efforts likely won’t meet federal deadlines, the agency approved allocating ARP funds for additional police officers at a Southern Nevada university and surveillance cameras at two correctional facilities.
Thursday’s IFC meeting focused on allocating more funds rather than unduplicating previously approved funds, including those previously earmarked for free school meals. It included a tense discussion over a proposed deletion of $9 million in approved ARP funds because it was “lower than expected.” anticipated needs,” according to meeting documents.
Lawmakers ultimately rejected the request to lift that mandate and instead planned to move those funds at a future meeting in June to a program designed to provide free school meals in the summer (previously was supposed to utilize an emergency fund with limited funds available).
“I don’t understand why [using ARP funds] “It was not an option presented to this agency to use dollars that we knew we would have to get rid of by the end of the year to fund our children,” said Rep. Danielle Monroe Moreno (D-North Las Vegas). said.
new project
The Washoe County Youth Mental Health Facility, which received $14.5 million last week, is scheduled to open in June 2026.
West Hills Behavioral Health Hospital closed in 2021 due to factors including aging infrastructure and workforce shortages. Last August, the Washoe County Commission approved reopening the 92-bed facility, which was previously privately operated. The renovated facility will be operated by the county and is expected to have approximately the same number of beds.
The county is using nearly $5 million in pandemic relief funds to purchase the facility and is also seeking additional federal funding to cover operating costs for the facility’s first two years.
IFC’s approval Thursday will allow the county to begin work on renovating aging facilities, the lack of which is being felt across Northern Nevada, officials testified Thursday.
Washoe County currently has no pediatric beds available for immediate mental health treatment and minimal youth beds, forcing those in need to travel outside the area or go to the emergency room. There is.
“There is a very serious lack of mental health service capacity, especially for child and adolescent mental health cases,” said County Director Eric Brown.
Other mental health funds approved last week will also go to facilities in northern Nevada.
Vitality Unlimited, a nonprofit that provides substance use and behavioral health care across the state, will receive $3 million to help relocate its Carson City treatment center to another nearby location. The existing center will close as the city relocates health care workers to the center’s location. The project is expected to be completed by April next year.
The center has primarily served Nevada’s low-income population. 63% of customers receive Medicaid. Additionally, 42 percent of clients had both mental illness and substance abuse issues.
The approximately $17 million donated to Boys & Girls Clubs will be distributed among 14 programs across the state, with most of the money going to new and renovating existing program sites. The program includes mental health interventions for Nevada’s youth and is expected to grow by 1,000 new participants.
The final project approved by ARP Foundation on Thursday was $5 million for a Las Vegas housing project that will allow more than 125 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live independently. Construction on the project is expected to begin in August and be completed in October 2026.
