Wichita provider says state rules force community programs to accept people they cannot safely serve

Colin McKenney, chief executive officer of Starkey Incorporated in Wichita, told the Committee on House Health and Human Services that Kansas’ rules requiring local systems to develop plans to serve any eligible person are being interpreted in ways that send people with extreme behavioral and medical support needs into community programs that are not equipped to keep them or others safe.

McKenney said the mismatch produces frequent injuries to the people served, their co‑residents and staff; he showed committee members photos of injuries and of protective gear staff use while trying to stabilize people who arrive with little prior information. “People get injured because our system is required to serve individuals it is not equipped to serve,” McKenney said in his prepared remarks.

The CEO said the problem is compounded by limited inpatient resources and long waits for specialized help. He cited a 2022 legislative appropriation for a crisis stabilization pilot in Parsons that had not opened three years after funding was approved. “Months or years pass while we are waiting for such a request to turn into action and assistance at the local level. Meanwhile, people are getting injured,” he said. He also said the new mental health state hospital under construction in Wichita does not include beds for the population Starkey serves.

Sedgwick County Deputy Director Jeanette Livingston, who followed McKenney, told the committee the county supports using a START (System‑Wide, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources, and Treatment) model and a START resource center to provide specialized assessment, short‑term stabilization and caregiver training. Livingston said Sedgwick County contracted with the National Center for START Services for an evaluation and that local data show current systems are not adequate: she cited 800 police calls in a year and one group home that received roughly 80 police visits in a year.

Committee members asked whether out‑of‑state students who become Kansas residents while at specialized schools remain eligible for services and whether families must move with them. McKenney and Livingston said eligibility pathways vary and that staff would defer to county eligibility or research staff for the statutory residency details; Livingston said families often do not move and that individuals who become adults while living in Kansas commonly apply for Medicaid and can be treated as residents.

McKenney recommended state leadership to set priorities and create resources for people with the highest behavioral and safety needs rather than relying on community providers to serve as de facto inpatient or correctional substitutes. He said Starkey has accepted emergency placements on short notice—citing a referral that arrived with 48 hours’ notice from Larned State Hospital—and that the organization opened a home in 2024 with no dedicated new staff, relying on existing employees’ extra time to meet needs.

The committee did not take formal action on the testimony; members requested follow‑up research about residency rules and funding paths that would clarify who pays when people come from out of state.

McKenney, Livingston and other speakers provided written materials to the committee record, including photos and a Sedgwick County data packet.