Nevada Ranks Last in Nationwide Survey of Spending on Mentally Retarded, Developmentally Disabled
Since 1977, Nevada has been the "worst in the nation" in funding services for individuals with mental retardation and developmental disabilities, according to a University of Illinois-Chicago study, the Las Vegas Sun reports. The report, titled The State of the States in Developmental Disabilities," is based on 1998 statistics. According to the study:
- Nevada residents rank last in the nation for funding, spending $1.05 for every $1,000 of personal income on services for the mentally retarded and individuals with chronic disabilities. The national average is $3.69, while Rhode Island's $7.22 leads the nation;
- At 1.3 employees per resident, Nevada's state-run institutions have the nation's lowest staffing levels. The national average is 2.21 workers per resident, while Alaska and Maine have the highest averages at 4 workers per patient.
- Nevada was the only state whose taxpayer-funded institutional population increased between 1977 and 1998. The 43% state increase is compared to a national decrease of 65%.
- Nevada placed, on average, a "nationwide low" of 56 individuals in community residential treatment settings for every 100,000 state residents. The national average was 155, while North Dakota had the highest average at 332.
Jack Finn, spokesperson for Gov. Kenny Guinn (R), said, "This is another one of those reports done in part of the country that does not understand the situation in Nevada. In the amount of dollars we are spending per person we are not last. Our budget for services for people with mental retardation has been increasing by 9% to 12% a year." David Luke, associate administrator for developmental services in the state's Mental Health and Developmental Services Division, added that Nevada did not have as many individuals seeking services compared to other states, which contributed to its low spending level. He said, "Nevada is not New York. If we see only a third of the people as the national average, we will fund only one-third as many people." But Luke "later conceded" that the division's clientele has grown from 1,700 to 2,700 over the past three years, adding that the "state has to continue to address its waiting lists." Ed Guthrie, executive director of Opportunity Village, said that the state "underestimated the number of people who would be moving [t]here. We now have at least 160 people on waiting lists for services in Southern Nevada alone. There are a number of other people who know there aren't enough services so they don't even apply." Opportunity Village provides vocational training and recreation for about 1,000 clients per year. And Brian Lahren, former state mental health division director and director of the Washoe Association for Retarded Citizens in Reno, said that the state has not been successful in "getting people out of segregated work environments ... because we don't pay for that support." He added, "We're tightwads. We could have people out in the community earning more and costing us less. But we are unwilling to do something for the long term benefits because of the short term costs. It is lack of vision." However, Luke said that Nevada has been placing additional emphasis on community-based services for the mentally retarded and developmentally disabled (Kanigher, Las Vegas Sun, 11/25).
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