An independent accrediting organization has taken action against a Las Vegas mental health agency based on claims that patients were jeopardized when they were improperly transported out of state after discharge.
Southern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services’ hospital program, which includes Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital, faces a “preliminary denial of accreditation” by officials from the Joint Commission, who cast votes on the issue in light of findings from a May visit.
According to an article in the Las Vegas Sun, the agency has the right to appeal this decision, which was made after inspectors found alleged negligence which may cause the program to lose its accreditation.
The Joint Commission recently posted a list of non-compliant standards on their website. Though officials have visited Rawson-Neal as recently as July 2, the list concerns problems identified during a full-site visit conducted in May.
Rawson-Neal’s policies came into question when the story of James Brown was first published by the Sacramento Bee. According to the paper, Brown arrived in Sacramento, California disoriented and without a support system after being put on a Greyhound Bus following his discharge from the facility in February.
Based on claims that state officials exercised negligence in shirking their fiduciary duty, the American Civil Liberties Union has filed suit against six state agencies on Brown’s behalf.
Included in the recent list of compliance violations published by the Joint Commission are claims that patients receive insufficient follow-up care after discharge and improper documentation of patient discharge information.