Henderson won’t release 911 call made from Vermillion home

Henderson city officials will not release the recording of a 911 call made from the home of former Councilwoman Kathleen Vermillion.

According to a statement released Monday, city officials concluded the recording contains confidential medical information subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and won't release a redacted version.

City spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said the city provided the time of the call, identified the caller and provided information about response time. Because the city is a health care provider, the city cannot release protected health information unless Vermillion provides a release, which she hasn't done, Richards added.

"The information provided satisfies the legitimate public interest in timely response to medical emergencies," Richards wrote in an email to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "The release of the content of the 911 tape, containing private medical information, serves no genuine public interest."

Earlier this month, Vermillion, 44, appeared to overdose on prescription pills and alcohol in a possible suicide attempt. She was discovered by her 15-year-old daughter, who made the 911 call, a source close to the family said.

The Henderson Fire Department responded at 6:52 a.m. Feb. 3. Vermillion was hospitalized at St. Rose Dominican Hospital, Siena Campus and kept in protective custody.

While at St. Rose, Vermillion made another 911 call to authorities that was released.

Vermillion is being investigated amid allegations that she misused funds from the Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a charity she helped start a decade ago.

According to sources, the FBI recently joined the Nevada attorney general's office investigation of Vermillion's use of charitable and city of Henderson funds, focusing on her finances, her role in the charity and the Homeless Youth Foundation, and her former job on the City Council.

Vermillion resigned from the council after the allegations surfaced and later resigned from the partnership itself. Both the FBI and the attorney general's offices would neither confirm nor deny they were conducting an investigation, per each department's policy.