Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Jail Based Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Clark and Washoe officials highlight SMART jail‑based mental‑health pilots; department says program not in governor’s budget
Summary
Southern Nevada and Washoe County officials told the subcommittee that jail‑based mental health pilots launched with ARPA funds have reduced days waiting for competency services and produced measurable medication adherence and reevaluation outcomes. Department officials said the program is not included in the governor’s recommended budget.
Officials and providers from Clark and Washoe counties briefed the Joint Subcommittee on Human Services on jail‑based mental health programs that local partners started with ARPA funds, saying the programs reduce time to competency restoration and improve medication adherence.
Captain Joshua Martinez of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department described the SMART (Specialized Mental health And Recovery Treatment) program launched in June 2024 at the Clark County Detention Center. Martinez said the 60‑bed SMART unit has maintained a daily average of 55 patients and enrolled 255 individuals since June 2024; 16 patients had been recommended for reevaluation and found competent through the program, and he reported “87 percent of patients are 90% medication adherent.”
Joanna Jacob, appearing for Clark County, told the committee the county and criminal justice stakeholders believe the program “is making a difference” and said local budgets will be strained if state support is not found to continue the work after ARPA funds sunset. Jason Frierson (Cornerstone Government Affairs), speaking for Recovery Solutions (a program partner), urged the committee to consider long‑term savings from reduced state hospital days and faster restorations, saying the program has reduced lengths of stay and staff turnover has been low.
Washoe County speakers described a similar pilot. Mary Sarah Kinner of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office reported that from Sept. 1, 2024, to a recent date the county’s tier‑1 jail‑based unit served 32 individuals; she said 16 percent of those were reevaluated and diverted and reported medication adherence and symptom‑reduction metrics in 30‑ to 90‑day windows. A Washoe partner told the committee the county’s program is a model within the provider network.
Budget context and agency position: Several legislators recalled a Dec. 2023 interim finance committee allocation of $14.9 million in ARPA funds for jail‑based mental health programming in Clark and Washoe counties; one legislator said about $5.3 million of that allocation had been spent so far. Administrator Cody Finney told the subcommittee the jail‑based program “is not in the budget that I’m bringing to you today,” adding that it is a successful program under review for other funding or design options but that the department could not make the math work in the current recommended budget.
Why it matters: Local officials and vendors argued the pilots shorten the time people wait for state hospital placement or re‑evaluation and help keep people stable while they remain in local custody, which in witnesses’ view reduces downstream state hospital costs and court contempt fines.
Next steps: County officials and providers asked the committee to consider how state funding could continue the programs if the Legislature decides those investments generate net savings elsewhere in the budget. Department staff and committee members requested more detailed, updated numbers on wait lists, program costs, and fines to evaluate tradeoffs.
(Reported from testimony and public comment to the Joint Subcommittee on Human Services.)
