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GuideLink Center seeks county funding as state ASO role remains unclear
Summary
GuideLink Center representatives presented their FY2026 budget request and usage to Johnson County supervisors, outlining encounter volumes, revenue sources, and uncertainties about which services the new state ASO will fund.
Representatives of GuideLink Center told the Johnson County Board of Supervisors on Jan. 28 that the facility expects continued demand for behavioral-health crisis services and is requesting county support while key state-level decisions remain unresolved.
GuideLink’s presentation to the board described GuideLink as a shared facility providing crisis services, psychiatric medication, sobering, triage and detox. Executive Director Abby Ferenzi said GuideLink had recorded 7,299 encounters since 2021 and about 5,783 admissions; the organization estimated roughly 2,200 encounters per year based on current trends.
GuideLink staff reviewed the FY2026 funding picture and requested $850,638 from Johnson County for department 26 operations. The proposed FY2026 budget shows a net decrease for the facility fee (shared operational costs) of about $26,000 from FY2025 and a net request increase of roughly $62,000 tied to adding one full-time equivalent position. GuideLink staff also said sobering services are not billable to insurance and that the detox line in the request had decreased by about $295,000 from the prior year projection.
The larger uncertainty for GuideLink is whether the state-designated Administrative Services Organization will reimburse or assume responsibility for particular services. “Primary Care Association…said they are committed to providing behavioral health services, meaning both mental health and substance use disorder services,” Abby Ferenzi told the board, but she and county officials said written guidance and firm contract terms from the ASO had not been received.
County and GuideLink officials discussed possible coordination between the county, GuideLink and the ASO if the ASO negotiates service arrangements independently with some providers. Supervisor Rod asked that GuideLink notify the county of any ASO communications so the parties could consult together; GuideLink said it had met with ASO representatives in December and planned follow-up outreach.
No board vote was taken on funding at the work session. County staff emphasized the budget remains “in flux” pending ASO rules and further communications.
