SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval on Tuesday defended his state against a report that a Las Vegas psychiatric hospital improperly sent hundreds of discharged patients by bus to California and other states, a practice known as patient dumping.
The Republican governor acknowledged that the state-run Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital improperly discharged at least one mentally ill man but said a new discharge policy put in place in recent weeks would prevent future missteps.
A state investigation led to disciplinary action against two employees, health officials said.
The Nevada governor's comments came a day after San Francisco's city attorney said he had opened an investigation into reports by the Sacramento Bee that Rawson-Neal gave bus tickets to as many as 1,500 patients without adequate provisions for food, medication, housing or medical treatment in a practice dating back to July 2008.
