House committee advances bill establishing South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital

The House Committee on House Health and Human Services on Feb. 17 advanced House Bill 23-65, a measure that would add the South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital to state statute, create a South Central Regional Mental Health Hospital fee fund and update statutory references to state psychiatric hospitals.

The bill authorizes a 104-bed regional state psychiatric hospital to serve adults committed for involuntary mental-health treatment under the Kansas Care and Treatment Act and to provide competency restoration services for criminal defendants. The department for aging and disability services (KDADS) said the hospital is being built in partnership with Sedgwick County and is planned for the corner of McArthur and Meridian in south Wichita.

KDADS Deputy Secretary Scott Bruner told the committee the county has acquired property, contracted design firms and entered a general-contractor agreement. Bruner said clearing of the Wichita site began in mid-February and the county expects construction to reach substantial completion in October 2026, transfer ownership by the end of 2026, and admit the first patient in January 2027.

Why it matters: Supporters said the hospital will expand state hospital bed capacity that a 2018 task force recommended adding when it studied statewide needs. KDADS and stakeholders told the committee the new facility is intended to relieve pressure on existing state hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie and to provide explicit capacity for forensic competency services.

Key details and funding: KDADS described the hospital as a 104-bed design. The committee was told $15 million was appropriated across fiscal years 2023–25 to start the project, an additional $26.5 million added in 2024 expanded the plan from 50 to 104 beds, and $25 million in SPARK funding is part of the project. Witnesses said the estimated construction cost is about $86.5 million and that total appropriations through fiscal 2026 are roughly $111 million; KDADS said operational funding for a larger facility will be included in the FY2027 budget request.

KDADS also proposed renaming Parsons State Hospital and Training Center to Parsons State Hospital, which the department said better reflects current services on that campus.

Committee amendment and next steps: Committee members adopted a technical amendment that adjusted the list of counties identified in the bill as part of hospital catchment-area language. Committee members then voted to recommend the bill favorably as amended. The committee vote was conducted by voice; the record does not include a roll-call tally.

Stakeholders and discussion: Proponent testimony came from KDADS officials, the Kansas Mental Health Coalition and other stakeholder groups. KDADS said it convened an 18-member advisory panel including local officials, law enforcement and providers to guide design and operational planning. KDADS said it has appointed an acting superintendent and is recruiting leadership and developing clinical and administrative operations ahead of facility turnover.

What the bill does not do: The statute-writing in the bill authorizes the hospital and creates a fee fund and statutory references; it does not itself appropriate the remaining operational dollars. KDADS told the committee operational funding for the 104-bed facility will be requested in the next budget cycle.

A technical note: The committee’s amendment modified the county list in the bill language; the final statutory county list should be checked in the amended bill text before publication. The committee advanced the bill to the next stage of consideration.

Ending: Supporters said legislative authorization will allow KDADS to create accounting and operational structures ahead of building completion; opponents did not register formal opposition in the hearing. The bill now moves forward as a committee bill recommended favorably as amended.