Nevada Interim Finance Committee approves funds, orders temporary management after allegations at Mariah Behavioral Health

The Nevada Interim Finance Committee approved a request to transfer roughly $485,000 to the Nevada Health Authority to fund temporary health‑care facility management services at four locations operated by Mariah Behavioral Health after parents, neighbors and clinicians described years of alleged neglect and unsafe conditions.

The committee heard multiple first‑hand accounts at public comment, including parents who said their children were denied adequate psychiatric care or were held against their families’ wishes. Neighbors described frequent police responses, helicopters and children wandering into yards. Pamela Gomez, a former program director at a Mariah facility, urged the committee to create a confidential clinical whistleblower hotline for licensed clinicians to report administrative pressure she called “predatory” and “unsafe.”

At the hearing, Lynette Aaron, deputy director of the Nevada Health Authority, described the work program request and said the funds would support contracts to bring in a national team experienced in stabilizing facilities and providing continuity of care while license and enforcement actions proceed.

Stacy Weeks, who leads the Health Authority’s licensing division, told the committee the agency had moved quickly after complaints were received and, following legal developments that allowed access, had suspended licenses. She said two homes were shut down and nine children were temporarily relocated. Weeks said the state has deployed a clinical transition team — including social workers, nurses and environmental staff — to assess and stabilize the young people, ensure medications and medical records are current, and reduce the risk of retraumatization while the state determines longer‑term placements.

Clark County counsel Joanna Jacob said county departments had been engaged and that litigation and confidentiality limits prevented some disclosures; she confirmed the county would cooperate on any after‑action reviews and possible regulatory changes. Committee members pressed the Health Authority on the timeline of complaints, prior audits and gaps in inspections. Weeks said the agency would follow up in writing and is pursuing administrative and statutory changes, including proposals to increase inspection frequency and maintain a census of children placed in out‑of‑state or private residential treatment facilities when they are receiving care in Nevada.

The committee voted to approve the work program to fund temporary management services. Chair Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop said the action was intended to give regulators tools to stabilize current placements and ensure safe care while investigations and potential legal actions continue. The Health Authority said it may bring forward additional recommendations on regulatory and statutory changes in a future meeting.

The action does not constitute a final determination of liability or criminal wrongdoing; investigations and any litigation remain ongoing. The committee’s approval funds a temporary management contract and signals an immediate regulatory response while state and county investigators continue to review records and complaints.

The Health Authority said it would provide further written information to the committee on complaint histories and timelines as permitted by confidentiality rules and pending litigation.