Nevada accused of 'patient dumping' after hospital puts schizophrenic man, 48, on a bus to California and tells him to call 911 when he gets there

James Brown told doctors at the Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital that he wanted to stay in Nevada and didn't know anyone in California



But they put him on a Greyhound bus to Sacramento with minimal food and medication and told him to call 911 when he arrived

He ended up in a homeless shelter suffering from medication withdrawals

His case has highlighted 'patient dumping'; he is one of 10 mental health patients sent to states where they know no one



A man diagnosed with schizophrenia has described how staff at a Nevada mental health hospital put him on a bus to California with little medication and food and told him to call 911 when he got there.

James Brown, 48, received treatment at Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital in Las Vegas last year after suffering from depression and contemplating suicide but was discharged after just three days.



His startling case has revealed the state's alleged practice of 'patient dumping', with records showing Nevada has bought 1,500 bus tickets since 2008 - sending some mentally ill patients to places they have never been before and where they know no one.

For Brown, who had wanted to stay in Nevada , the experience was petrifying.

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'Shipped off': James Brown, who was being treated for psychosis and schizophrenia in Nevada, was put on a one-way bus to California - where he knew no one - and told to call police when he got there

'Why California?' he asked as he became emotional in an interview with ABC News . 'What's waiting for me there? I'm already scared enough.'

Just days after checking into the hospital in February 2012, doctors felt Brown was ready to leave and they asked him where he wanted to move, he said.

'I said, "I don't want to leave Nevada",' Brown recounted. 'He said, "California sounds like a really nice state. I think you'll be happy there".'

But doctors insisted he would get better mental health care in Sacramento, even though he had never been and was not given any information about the city.

Confused: Brown (pictured finally receiving treatment in North Carolina) went to a police station and ended up at a homeless shelter where his medication soon began to wear off

Reunited: A Sacramento reporter and a counselor put him in touch with his daughter, left, who cares for him

Instead, staff drove him to a Greyhound bus station, bought him a $306 one-way ticket, gave him six Ensure nutrition drinks, three-days worth of medication and told him to call 911 when he arrived.

Brown's papers even noted his discharge address as 'Greyhound Bus Station to California'.

After the 16-hour trip, he arrived in Sacramento and, confused, went to a police station. Officers took him to a homeless shelter where he began feeling withdrawal symptoms from his medication.

At the shelter, he told staff that he knew no one in the state, had nowhere to go and had run out of medication to treat his schizophrenia, anxiety and depression.

Shelter staff eventually put him on another bus to a mental health clinic, but he failed to turn up and only received help when a Sacramento Bee reporter learned of his plight.

Facility: Brown was discharged from Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital after just three days

'No support': He said he told doctors at the center, pictured, he wanted to stay in Nevada but they did not listen

The reporter and a counselor helped him make contact with his grown daughter, and he moved to her home. He is now undergoing treatment.

'I don't want revenge, and I don't know about justice, but I want them to pay for what they've done to me and the others,' Brown said. 'I want people to really take a moment to think about this.'

The Bee first shared Brown's story in March and discovered that the state has bought nearly 1,500 bus tickets for patients to nearly every state in the United States.

Mike Willden, who directs Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services, maintains that most of the tickets were for patients being met by family members or friends.

Documents: His medical records noted that he wanted to stay locally but he was still sent to California

He told ABC News that out of the 1,500 patients in the past five years, just 10 were inappropriately transported - but he would not say where they ended up.

Following a 10-day internal review, he spoke at a legislative hearing and said that the probe found there was not a pattern of misconduct.

Among the report was findings that apparently relate to Brown's case, without naming him.

It notes that, 't here was no documented evidence in the medical record that indicated how the patient could access mental health services' or find a physician or a place to live.

Another example described a diabetic patient with bipolar disorder who was bused to Oklahoma who had no medication or information on where to receive treatment for his diabetes.

Progress: The state's policies have now been changed to ensure all patients travel with a chaperone

He was also given Ensure, but it was not a healthy for someone with diabetes, a nurse said.

T he findings have prompted Nevada into action.



Gov. Brian Sandoval announced on Monday that the state had disciplined mental health employees.

Of nine workers at Rawson-Neal who are implicated in the findings, four no longer work there, two have been terminated and three will face further disciplinary action, ABC found.

The hospital's policy is now to require chaperones for all bus trips.

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