KDADS proposes bills to authorize 104‑bed regional psychiatric hospital, reinvest fines and prioritize outpatient competency restoration

Scott Brunner, deputy secretary at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, told the House Health and Human Services Committee that KDADS plans to introduce legislation on four topics this session: statutory placement of the Mental Health Intervention Team program, authorization and naming of a South Central regional psychiatric hospital, creation of a civil monetary penalty reinvestment program and changes to forensic competency evaluation and restoration procedures after a settlement with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Brunner said KDADS will seek a statutory home for the Mental Health Intervention Team (MHIT) program — which funds school districts to employ liaisons who link students with severe behavioral or mental health needs to local services — rather than continuing to rely on a proviso in the budget bill. He said the MHIT program began in 2018 with seven districts and now serves nearly 100 districts; KDADS plans to introduce that statutory change through the House Appropriations Committee.

On the regional hospital, Brunner described a planned 104‑bed state psychiatric facility in south Wichita (corner of MacArthur and Meridian) intended to serve patients ordered by courts…