mental health

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Nevada state mental health services would get a $3.5 million boost from tobacco settlement money under a proposal that Gov. Brian Sandoval says he's taking to the administration's Interim Finance Committee on Thursday.

With early voting in Nevada's primary election beginning Saturday, Carson City residents learned more about some of the philosophies of candidates in the contested races during Wednesday night's candidate forum hosted by the Carson City Chamber of Commerce.

The Performance Hall of the BAC was a full house for the forum, with hardly an empty seat found for the first segment where the candidates for sheriff were questioned. The audience was reduced to about half after the sheriff's candidate portion ended.

Gov. Brian Sandoval’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Council on Tuesday approved its first round of recommendations to improve the state’s struggling mental health system, but whether any will be enacted remains a question given Nevada’s revenue challenges and competing priorities.

Immunize Nevada and the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health met Tuesday at Carson Tahoe Women’s Health Institute for an event to educate Nevadans about Text4baby and to encourage expecting and first time mothers to do something for themselves this Mother’s Day and enroll in Text4baby.

The speakers, including Senator Ben Kieckhefer, from Washoe District 16; Vickie Ives, a representative from the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health; and Julia Peek, a mother of two and Text4baby user, spoke about the benefits of the program in helping build strong Nevada families.

A man and woman were arrested Monday on felony charges of possession of methamphetamine, according to the Carson City Sheriff's Office. Mary Jenae Adams, 24, of Carson City and Michael Louis Kizer, 30, of Schurz, Nev., were taken into custody at 9:51 a.m. in the area of Northridge and Roop streets.

A 58-year-old man was arrested Saturday by Carson City sheriff's deputies on suspicion of being in possession of a firearm on school grounds and stalking, both gross misdemeanor offenses.

The Minden man was at a track meet at Carson High School and was stalking a female student, whom he made contact with a week prior, according to the arrest report. The man handed the student a business card, telling her: "Text me, hey, when you feel the time is right."

Remote Area Medical, an organization dedicated to providing free, quality health care services to those in need, will host a free clinic April 11-13 for adults and children of Northern Nevada.

Groups and individual volunteers from throughout Northern Nevada including Partnership Carson City, Carson City Health and Human Services and Healthy Communities Coalition of Lyon and Storey counties, are key partners in the event that will take place at Hug High School, 2880 Sutro Street in Reno.

Julia Teska has been appointed by Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval as state budget director replacing Jeff Mohlenkamp who will be leaving April 4. Teska is currently the deputy superintendent for Business and Support Services at the Department of Education.

Carson City Animal Services is in the process of trapping dozens of cats found Thursday abandoned in a Ladera Drive home.

The cats that animal control officers have been able to retrieve so far are being treated, fed and assessed for health concerns through an intake process, said Taylor Radtke, public information officer for Carson City Health and Human Services.

This story has been updated Friday afternoon to reflect new information about the cats found Thursday in an abandoned Carson City home. Go here for the latest.

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A welfare check on a home in the 1300 block of Ladera Drive in Carson City led to the discovery of dozens of sick, malnourished and dead cats.

A 29-year-old Carson City woman and 27-year-old man were arrested Thursday, each facing two misdemeanor warrant counts for failure to appear.

The pair were arrested in the 2100 block of Airport Road at 8:05 p.m. According to the arrest report, officers with the Carson City Sheriff's Office Special Enforcement Team conducted a warrant service on the woman at the residence.

Carson City Sheriff’s Sgt. Daniel Gonzales announced Wednesday his candidacy for sheriff of Carson City.

Gonzales says he is running for sheriff with the goal of increasing integrity, transparency and accountability in the Sheriff’s Office, as well as restructuring the department to put more officers on patrol and use monies to better protect and serve Carson City and its residents.

The Carson City Board of Supervisors meet today beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Sierra Room of the Community Center 851 East William Street. Go here for the agenda and here to watch it live.

Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval signed an executive order on Friday establishing the Governor’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Council.

The Council will examine ways of improving and strengthening the systems of support and delivery of services to those living with behavioral health conditions in Nevada, officials said Monday. An analysis of Nevada’s mental health system, which began in May, will also be evaluated by the council.

A 41-year-old Carson City man was arrested Monday in the 300 block of Thurman Drive on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic battery.
According to the arrest report, officers were dispatched at 4:28 a.m. to the residence regarding a man that was agitated and throwing things. Officers arrived at the home and were allowed in by the man's father.

Children in Northern Nevada affected by autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and scleroderma now have access to a pediatric rheumatologist at the Children’s Specialty Center of Nevada in Reno.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong will run for a fourth term as the capital city's top law enforcement officer, announcing his 2014 re-election intentions Tuesday.

In what Furlong described as three "politically quiet but challenging years," crime statistics have trended downward since the 2010 election, which is remarkable given Carson City's economic climate as it continues to deal with the effects of a deep, prolonged recession.

CARSON CITY — Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health Administrator Richard Whitley announced the appointment of Ellen Richardson-Adams as Deputy Administrator of Clinical Services, a new position within the division.

“Ellen is well respected by those she works with, is very experienced in a wide variety of public and behavioral health issues,” said Whitley in a press release.

As Deputy Administrator, Richardson-Adams will have direct oversight of Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services, Lake’s Crossing and Rural Services.

CARSON CITY — A state board has endorsed pumping another $3 million into Nevada mental health services to increase bed capacity and reduce wait times for criminal defendants ordered to undergo evaluations.

Carson City neighbors by the thousands gathered Tuesday evening at Mills Park for the 11th annual National Night Out.

The themes for the evening were community and neighborhood partnership and outreach. Judging by attendance, it was one of the largest gatherings thus far for the annual summer event, hosted by the Carson City Sheriff's Office.

"The turnout is one of the biggest I've seen," said DARE officer Lisa Davis, a coordinator of the event. "It says a lot about our citizens who have come together for a cause we all want: A safe and healthy community."

With neighborhood outreach as the theme, Carson City Sheriff's Office organizers say the National Night Out event at Mills Park on Tuesday will also highlight a number of new community wide initiatives.

The event runs from 5 to 8 p.m. and brings thousands of Carson City residents to the park annually in a open house environment, providing partnerships between law enforcement and the community. In Carson City, this event represents the culmination of efforts made to address crime, drugs, and violence and is the largest event of its kind in the area.

Serenity Meditation Studio in Carson City is a way for me to give back to the community. As a Registered Nurse I see first hand the many problems that our current Physical and Mental Health Care Systems face.

I believe that each of us has a responsibility to be a part of the solution to our Health Care Crisis. Our lives today are so fragmented and full of non stop go, go, go and stress, stress, stress that we have forgotten what it's like to just relax and breath and enjoy the moment.

A 22-year-old Carson City woman was arrested Wednesday evening for filing a false police report.

According to the arrest report, the woman claimed her boyfriend and his brother came to her residence and cut her legs several times with a box cutter. Though the reporting party did have cuts on her legs, she also has a history of mental health issues that include cutting herself and blaming others. Because of her prior history of making false claims, she was arrested for misdemeanor filing a false police report. Her bail was set at $500 plus fees.

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At 8:53 Sunday evening, the Carson City Sheriff’s Office was notified of a violent threat at the Olive Garden Restaurant on South Carson Street.

Initial reports indicated that a man, later identified as David Paul Lane had entered the business alone and at some point became agitated, then confronted the manager and staff with a loaded semi-automatic pistol.

Grants amounting to $4.5 million from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will go to four Nevada service organizations that assist veterans in the Silver State, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid announced Friday.

U.S. Vets, Vietnam Veterans of California, The Salvation Army, and HELP Social Service organization, each have received grants totaling $4.5 million through the Supportive Services for Veteran Families Program. This program supports VA’s efforts to prevent at-risk veterans from becoming homeless and rapidly re-house those who have recently fallen into homelessness.

The local Veterans Affairs Sierra Nevada Health Care System has hired 12 new mental health professionals to better serve local veterans. The VA says the new clinical positions will allow veterans to schedule appointments before or after work and on weekends.

Carson City Sheriff Ken Furlong recently returned from a national conference in Atlanta where experts from around the country discussed how to prevent people from committing mass casualty attacks. Furlong was asked to talk about the shooter who opened fire and killed four at the Carson City IHOP in 2011.

However, the bill is expected to be vetoed by Brian Sandoval in the next 10 days.

The bill requires background checks on the private sales of guns and requires courts to report mental health issues, which would be used as part of the background check.

UPDATE: A funeral service for Janice R. Ayres, a longtime Carson City resident and champion for the elderly and disabled in Nevada, will be held today, Friday, in Carson City at the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of Musser and Division streets.

A gathering for family and friends of Ayres will follow at Cafe at Adele's, 1112 North Carson Street.

Ayres was 92 when she died May 27, 2013.

Janice R. Ayres, a tireless advocate for the elderly and the disabled, an unshakable Democrat and former member of the Carson City Board of Supervisors died Monday morning at Carson Tahoe Hospital after battling cancer. She was 92.

Ayres was the executive director of the Nevada Rural Counties RSVP Program, a position she held since 1979. RSVP Board member Charlie Abowd confirmed her passing and said directors will meet Tuesday afternoon to discuss arrangements.