[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6202803,"mediaKeyId","3785410-26f30b6ad4d73ad1238fd3b3f31454e2","parentId",3785410,"title","Douglas County details behavioral health fund, priorities and planned 2026 budgeting","audioSeconds",4213,"startMs",2908000,"endMs",7121000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3785410-26f30b6ad4d73ad1238fd3b3f31454e2&start=2908&end=7121","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3785410-26f30b6ad4d73ad1238fd3b3f31454e2/thumbnail_2908000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6202803/Kansas/Douglas-County-details-behavioral-health-fund-priorities-and-planned-2026-budgeting","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202803-67c7d4f214ad1b334d80aea047545eb3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138497&Signature=lxs6G-f27cjiT3IEEweDZRiZq4LPOSxbC2phf2HzzECcE0tYbNkhyZwpMNKom97usCipdvVhuVXfpKaPl~nY~tXfPxqcPA9DCdIuURnsvduC0r8~FUwZwDX1g8E67hTg4P4D0KHdC4SAfPrzjrpmDo8nLhvfdmaNwGZQAAd9POvQvKH7Isnp3iAOE3wabt3iY8i8~S3HN4q7cgpBtkyXwxfi1i9Hd9C5v5-mlA5U34p9gDy8eZsUnNzxkz27WH7TfQHyTBe~J25WNW0SUtRN6Lmk1TVfE23tBjZYU5VhbHj-Y22r8lHdANnHFyNXGtDKDm9vQ6DPgGewGdRTfq2ojg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Douglas County, KS","date","2025-06-12T15:10:44Z","article","Douglas County staff presented an overview of behavioral health project funding at a June meeting of the Board of County Commissioners, reviewing the fund’s balance, revenue mix and how the county has directed one‑time and ongoing dollars to local partners.

County Administrator Sarah Plenske and Bob Tryansky summarized 2025 activity and the direction for the 2026 budget. Staff said the fund includes revenue from the county’s quarter‑cent behavioral health sales tax and transfers of property tax dollars that previously supported behavioral health in the general fund; staff reported combined anticipated revenue of about $12.7 million for 2025 (roughly $6.6 million in sales tax and $5.2 million in transferred property tax). Staff corrected an internal transcription error and said the fund balance at the start of 2025 was about $22.07 million (rounded), not the larger figure that appeared in a slide.

Why it matters: The fund supports ongoing care (community mental health provider support, medication‑assisted treatment, wrap services in schools) and one‑time capital projects (supportive housing, transitional housing and facility upgrades). County leaders said they are trying to align ongoing operating costs with ongoing revenue and reserve the fund balance for one‑time investments or short‑term transitions.

What staff reported

- Fund arithmetic (2025, rounded): beginning fund balance about $22.07 million; anticipated 2025 revenue about $12.7 million (sales tax $6.6M + property tax transfer $5.2M); anticipated ongoing expenditures about $10.8M; one‑time capital spending in 2025 about $3.1M. Staff said the county targets a 25% operating reserve (they cited a target around $3.2M) and estimated about $14.4M available for one‑time capital projects after required reserves and ongoing obligations.
- One‑time projects in 2025: capital support for supportive housing and shelter projects including Ninth Street Missionary Baptist transitional housing, Family Promise family emergency shelter, and DECA women’s transitional housing. Several projects were previously funded from ARPA or CARES Act; the county has used the behavioral health fund to sustain or replace some of that one‑time capital.
- Ongoing recipients and programs: Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center remains a largest ongoing recipient (county funds offset Bert Nash’s sliding fee scale for uninsured/underinsured patients); the county funds medication‑assisted treatment and residential treatment subsidies across multiple partners (DECA, Heartland Community Health, MIR), mobile crisis teams, peer‑support integration and the Wrap school‑based program (funding for school‑based workers across secondary schools).
- Pooled funding approach: staff described a move toward pooled/subscription funding for substance‑use treatment and other services so county dollars can be allocated across partners and adjusted quarterly based on actual billing and utilization.

Discussion and priorities

Staff emphasized the Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) behavioral‑health plank as the strategic framework. Commissioners and staff discussed stronger linkage between funded partner proposals and specific CHIP strategies and the need for clearer, publicly accessible performance metrics. Public commenter John Imes urged robust, system‑level metrics for homelessness and program outcomes; Imes said, “A fully functioning system of care requires a system level set of metrics to measure goal attainment.”

Commissioners raised the long‑term funding risk from state funding sources (including KDADS amounts that support the local treatment and recovery center) and asked staff to plan for contingencies. Commissioners also asked for better dashboard displays that link funded partners, expenditures and outcomes to CHIP objectives. Staff said the 2026 proposed budget will include refined requests and a clearer mapping of projects to CHIP priorities.

Ending

The item was informational; no formal vote was taken. Staff will present the behavioral health projects budget and partner proposals during the county’s 2026 budget process and return with more detailed metrics and a proposed funding alignment that maps partner activities to CHIP strategies.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Douglas County Commissioners Meeting on June 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Douglas County staff presented an overview of the behavioral health fund at a June meeting, reviewing the fund balance, revenue sources and how county dollars are being used for supportive housing, psychiatric services, substance‑use treatment and prevention.","taxTitle","County Commission, Douglas County, Kansas","taxId",69828,"location","Kansas","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6202808,"Douglas County previews higher ambulance fees; staff project $3.5 million–$4.0 million in 2026 revenue",2184,689000,2873000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3785410-26f30b6ad4d73ad1238fd3b3f31454e2&start=689&end=2873","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3785410-26f30b6ad4d73ad1238fd3b3f31454e2/thumbnail_689000.jpg","/articles/6202808/Kansas/Douglas-County-previews-higher-ambulance-fees-staff-project-35-million40-million-in-2026-revenue","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6202808-349b88b0de6257c80c2544493979297a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771138497&Signature=XEqRHK4X7g8CbvJixg3ERGn~o87dGumKmq9sj8IjFIlDpWmDhL5OlETPjz8H21cYqf82tNrK26WVdNHp891x44EGNoepeO3Edqa7A-atsyORuyobyJdBs-y4lVJAf1R6lX7~o4aHK-YHNzZ5itLHNYZNYH8sz8N3nziboMXq0S8U6aGMeftNMq9q5B1TdsBwUMBJOr8LJ7m3dxBXuGnimBaUdsTawMKWR~0nErrzmLoFOX~rrEjNuuleTUyH5OaU38aYWBaq9HXeu94L1lqf-j~RwfDaFO-1QB5loUmk9OYo36uSpHdpqNtZ9eDD7EavK8YBY5ElPhCLGhR5aEVs1g__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a June meeting of the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County, staff and Lawrence‑Douglas County Fire Medical (LDCFM) officials previewed changes to ambulance service and standby fees and presented revenue projections for 2026 that range from about $3.5 million to $4.0 million depending on collection rates.

The presentation, given by John Darling, LDCFM chief of emergency medical services, and summarized by County Administrator Sarah Plenske, described three main changes: raising emergency transport fees (basic life support and advanced life support) roughly 28%; increasing mileage to the market average; and adding or formalizing charges for specialty care transports and certain “treatment no‑transport” responses. Standby fees for events will also be raised to better reflect the full cost of staffing and equipment, officials said.

The county has updated its ambulance code to allow the county administrator and city manager jointly to set the fee schedule. Darling said the fee changes, combined with higher standby charges and the planned transition of nonemergency interfacility transfers to third‑party providers, lead to the headline projection: “the headline number is that at a 67% collection rate … we’re projecting 3,500,000.0. And at a 76% collection rate, we’re projecting 4,000,000 in 2026,” he told commissioners.

Why it matters: ambulance revenue is an input to the county’s 2026 general fund budget. Commissioners said they want conservative revenue assumptions because prior years showed volatility in collections and timing of payments. County staff told the board that collection rates reflect recoveries after Medicare and Medicaid allowable adjustments and that collection percentages are measured against net claims (after program write‑offs), not gross charges.

Key details

- Payment mix: officials said roughly 54% of transports are billed to Medicare, 11% to Medicaid, about 25% to commercial insurance and about 10% private pay/uninsured. Medicare and Medicaid set allowable caps that limit recoverable amounts for many transports.
- Proposed fee changes: a roughly 28% increase on emergency transport (BLS/ALS/ALS‑2) to account for inflation since 2018; mileage raised to approximately market average (county’s current loaded‑mile charge was cited at about $9.92; Medicaid allows $13.20); new specialty care transport codes and a lower “treatment‑no‑transport” fee (example cited: a $100 charge) for limited nontransport treatments.
- Standby fees: staff said previous standby billing covered overtime but not wear/tear or full equipment costs; new standby rates are intended to recover full FEMA‑based cost estimates for vehicles and personnel when agencies request ambulances at events (KU games, high‑school events, races). Staff said some charitable events have continued to receive donated/discounted standby staffing in the past and that flexibility can remain for certain nonprofit events.
- Revenue math and timing: staff presented 2024 as the most recent full year. They reported gross charges of about $7.6 million (projected call volume basis), adjusted to $5.4 million in net allowable claims after Medicare/Medicaid adjustments. At a 76% collection rate that yields about $4.1 million; at 67% it yields about $3.6 million. After removing anticipated nonemergency transfer revenue and adding higher standby revenue, staff arrived at the $3.5M–$4.0M 2026 projection.
- Collection practices and protections: officials said the county offers flexible repayment for patients, no interest or late fees, does not report medical debt to credit agencies (policy applies even for debts above the current $500 reporting threshold), and forwards unpaid balances to the Kansas Setoff Program for recovery against future state payments.

Discussion and next steps

Commissioners questioned whether collections are driven primarily by private pay patients or by the post‑allowable recoveries from commercial insurance and government payers; staff explained that the collection percentage aggregates recoveries across payer types after Medicare/Medicaid write‑offs. Commissioners asked about peer benchmarks; staff said the market comparison used KCK Fire Department, Sedgwick County and Johnson County MedEx rates.

Sarah Plenske told the board the fee schedule authority granted by the updated code will allow annual adjustments by the administrator and city manager, which staff said should reduce the multi‑year “catch‑up” increases and minimize sticker shock. No formal action was required or taken during the meeting; staff will include the revenue options in the proposed 2026 budget package and asked commissioners for direction on which collection assumption to use.

Ending

The presentation was informational only. Commissioners and staff said they will continue monitoring collection performance, peer benchmarks and any impacts to 911 utilization as the commission and city manager consider a final fee schedule for the 2026 budget.","County and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical officials presented proposed increases to ambulance service and standby fees, and projected 2026 ambulance revenue between $3.5 million (67% collection) and $4.0 million (76% collection). No vote was taken; the figures will be used in the 2026 budget process.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Douglas County details behavioral health fund, priorities and planned 2026 budgeting

Douglas County previews higher ambulance fees; staff project $3.5 million–$4.0 million in 2026 revenue