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Elko council approves final payment to Nevada Health Centers to complete behavioral health expansion
Summary
Nevada Health Centers briefed the Elko City Council on six months of progress in its ELCO behavioral health expansion and the council approved release of a final $683,670 payment toward a $1.91 million city commitment after hearing data on increased encounters, shorter wait times and new telepsychiatry slots.
Elko City Council voted to release the final payment of $683,670 to Nevada Health Centers (NHC) to complete the ELCO Behavioral Health expansion after receiving an update from NHC staff on service growth and program outcomes.
Bridal Looney, director of behavioral health operations at Nevada Health Centers, told the council the multi‑year grant program began in March 2022 and that NHC has completed two funding periods with one remaining. "So far we have seen a total of 472 unique patients for behavioral health and 2,220 encounters," Looney said, and she noted a recent quarter showed a 43% increase in encounters compared with 2024 quarterly averages. She also reported the average wait time for an initial behavioral health visit had fallen from about 14 days to approximately five days.
Patrick Rogers, clinical director of behavioral health operations for NHC, highlighted the new telepsychiatry arrangement reserving eight weekly slots for Elko County patients (six adult and two pediatric). NHC also said it removed the prior requirement that patients see a medical provider before entering behavioral health and has introduced an on‑demand virtual scheduling button on its website.
Council members asked about staffing, sustainability and outcomes. Chief among council concerns was retention of staff after hire; councilmembers commended NHC on rapid growth but stressed the importance of keeping clinicians in the community.
Councilmember (mover) Speaker 9 moved to approve extending the final payment and the motion was seconded and approved via voice vote. The city had previously committed $1,913,805 to the project and had paid $1,230,135 before this final installment request.
The approval authorizes release of the requested $683,670 contingent on the usual administrative steps and does not create a new ongoing city program; staff and NHC will continue reporting on performance and implementation milestones.
The council placed the item on the consent portion of tonight's agenda after the presentation; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the meeting transcript, and the motion passed on a voice vote. The council indicated it expects further status updates as NHC continues its outreach and school‑based telehealth work.
