Feds Allege Nebraska Unnecessarily Institutionalizes People With Serious Mental Illness

Nebraska’s behavioral health system fails to provide sufficient supports to help people with serious mental illness (SMI) avoid being institutionalized, according to the findings of an investigation by the federal Department of Justice (DOJ). The state restricts access to community-based supports such that they are not available to help people live and work in their communities. People with SMI are segregated in assisted living facilities and day program facilities. As a result, the state’s behavioral health system violates both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Olmstead v. L . . .