Thursday, January 20, 2005

Conservative Nevada lawmaker plans mental health bill  Las Vegas Sun story - "Lawmakers are increasingly calling for improvements in Nevada's overwhelmed mental health system, and Gov. Kenny Guinn is expected to support such changes in his State of the State address on Monday. Even Sen. Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, a fiscal conservative, said he plans to introduce a $50 million bill to aid the state's overworked system. Beers said he has long struggled with the 'humanity' of handing out medication to mentally ill people and forcing them to deal with their problems outside of an institution, often on the streets. He added hospital emergency rooms are increasingly clogged up with mentally ill patients."