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Committee advances AB380 to expand flexible staffing, Medicaid reimbursement for mobile crisis teams
Summary
AB380 would let jurisdictions use flexible staffing models for mobile crisis response tied to 988/911 calls and enable Medicaid reimbursement. Sponsors argued the approach increases capacity in rural and urban areas; multiple local fire, county and advocacy groups supported the bill.
Assemblywoman Rebecca Edgeworth told the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services that AB380 aims to improve Nevada’s crisis-response system by allowing flexible staffing configurations for mobile crisis teams. The sponsor said the change will align 988 crisis responses with existing 911-based local models and support Medicaid reimbursement so smaller jurisdictions can establish teams.
Art Perillo, assistant fire chief for the City of Las Vegas, told the committee the bill “is a pivotal step forward” for Nevada’s mental and behavioral health crisis response. Perillo said the Las Vegas Fire and Rescue crisis-response team answered more than 3,400 incidents in the prior year and that flexible models—pairing behavioral-health clinicians, peer supporters, medical staff or law enforcement as needed—allow jurisdictions to tailor teams to local conditions.
Supporters that testified included the Nevada Association of Counties and Washoe County, the Children’s Advocacy Alliance, Clark County, the Vegas Chamber, professional firefighter representatives, REMSA, and the City of Henderson’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Team. Henderson’s Lisa Kelso, a licensed mental-health clinician, said Henderson’s MOST team uses evidence-based practices to reduce emergency-room use and criminal-justice involvement and that “best practice for a response to people in crisis is a medical response.”
T-Mobile offered neutral testimony confirming the measure would not increase the existing 911 surcharge. Several jurisdictions and nonprofit advocates said Medicaid reimbursement for eligible crisis-team responses is essential to scale services statewide so smaller cities and rural areas can create teams.
Action: The committee voted to do pass AB380 with amendments; Vice Chair Taylor was recorded as the mover in the committee work session and the committee assigned the floor statement to Sen. Stone.
Ending: Sponsors and local providers said the bill emphasizes community-specific staffing and payment flexibility to expand mobile crisis capacity across Nevada.
