In 2005, the Nevada Legislature approved AB 175 which called for creation of a centrally located drop-off triage center in Washoe County for those mentally ill persons and chronic inebriates.  The legislation stipulates that the State of Nevada will provide one third of the funding with two thirds to be provided by local governments and hospitals.

In 2008, the Community Triage Center (CTC) opened on the campus of the Community Assistance Center in downtown Reno.  WestCare’s operation of the CTC has been funded from a combination of State of Nevada mental health funding, Washoe County, the City of Reno, the City of Sparks and local hospitals.  WestCare is not obligated to operate the CTC and has asked for a funding agreement(s) to ensure adequate funding is provided.

The Community Triage Center was initiated to serve chronically inebriated and/or mentally ill individuals as well as adults who do not have access to health care or emergency medical services based on their homeless and/or indigent status.  The CTC is operated by WestCare Nevada, Inc., a non-profit organization whose services include substance abuse and addiction treatment, homeless and runaway shelters, domestic violence treatment and prevention and mental health programs.

The CTC program is a resource for local law enforcement, emergency responders, hospital emergency rooms, the Washoe County Detention Center and generally serves as a safety-net in the community.  The clients served report income at or below the poverty level and/or are chronically homeless, and are not eligible for Nevada Medicaid.  The CTC is the only resource of its kind in the region, and with the exception of hospital ERs, whose services are limited to medical stabilization and discharge only, there are no other detoxification and crisis stabilization entities which are available 24-hours per day and accept the uninsured.  Additionally, there is no discharge planning occurring for these individuals in the ERs, so the clients were returned to the streets.  In most cases these clients end up back in the ER within days, or hours, of the previous discharge, costing the community significantly.   CTC treatment can be offered by registered nurses, nurse practitioners, medical assistants, and substance abuse counselors, psychiatrists, case managers, thereby limiting the number of repeat ER visits.

As of May 1, 2012 the CTC began to accept all “Civil Protective Custody” detainees from local law enforcement agencies, including the Sparks Police Department.  This has decreased law enforcement’s time with this population as they can now bring them to the CTC.  In addition, WestCare has been performing medical screenings, and when clinically indicated, a medical clearance so that law enforcement is no longer required to take a detainee to an emergency room for this prior to being taken to the jail.  Only those refusing to stay at the CTC, or those who are too violent, are being sent to the Washoe County Detention Center.

For FY 2015-16, and as delineated in Section 2 – “Funding of the Community Triage Center” of the Agreement, a group of four medical centers will provide a total of $430,000 in funding during FY 2015/16.  Washoe County is to provide $190,000 in cash (via grant agreement with Westcare Nevada Inc.), plus $263,258 of in-kind assistance, while the City of Reno is to provide $95,000 in cash and $124,788 of in-kind assistance.  The City of Sparks is to provide $87,000 in cash.  An additional combined in-kind through the Cooperative Agreement totals $14,816.  Total cash funding to be provided by the parties is $802,000 and $402,862 of in-kind assistance which will leverage the $500,000 funding contribution by the State of Nevada.

The City Council’s options include not approving the funding agreement for the CTC or modifying its terms subject to concurrence by Westcare.

Staff moves to approve the funding agreement between the City of Sparks and WestCare Nevada Inc., for operation of the Community Triage Center (CTC).