Sedgwick County updates CCBHC progress, plans crisis intervention center and new Comcare facility

Comcare leadership updated the Sedgwick County Commission Tuesday on the county’s Certified Community Behavioral Health Center (CCBHC) status, faster patient access under a prospective payment system and plans to consolidate crisis services into a single crisis intervention center (CIC).

The update, led by Michelle Calvert of Comcare and Jennifer Wilson, director of crisis services, covered the CCBHC model’s history and financial implications, service outcomes since Sedgwick County’s certification in 2022 and a proposed new facility on Topeka Street to combine current crisis locations and add stabilization capacity.

Comcare’s CCBHC certification and the shift to a prospective payment system (PPS) mean the agency is paid based on the bundle of services it provides rather than by fee-for-service. Calvert said the model allows Comcare to account for previously unpaid services and stabilize staffing. “We were providing millions of dollars of free services,” she said, adding that the PPS rate is recalculated by allowable costs and is reviewed periodically.

Why it matters: Commissioners heard data that the CCBHC model has shortened access times and expanded capacity. Calvert said youth served by Comcare rose from 861 in 2022 to about 1,700 in 2024 and that average wait times for youth dropped from about 14 days to less than two days. She said adult wait times are now “less than half a day” and that intake for addiction-treatment assessment dropped from an average 36 days to “less than an hour.” Mobile crisis responses must be provided within an hour under CCBHC rules; Comcare’s average response time is about 33 minutes, Calvert said.

Funding and scale: Calvert summarized revenue sources and program finances. She said about 65% of Comcare’s funds come from patient encounters and that roughly 85% of Comcare patients are covered by Medicaid. Commissioners and staff discussed the PPS rate’s variability across centers, the three-year review window for the rate, and how higher allowable costs (for example higher staffing costs) can raise the PPS rate. Comcare’s operating fund balance and capital plans were also addressed later in the presentation.

Crisis intervention center plan: Wilson described a plan to centralize services now split across two leased buildings — one at 635 North Main and another at 1720 East Morris — into a single facility on Topeka Street. The new building would be licensed as a crisis intervention center by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), a licensing change Wilson said moves the organization from complying with roughly two pages of regulations to roughly 70 pages and 47 policies required of a CIC. A CIC license would let the center accept voluntary and involuntary admissions, and require 24/7 medical staffing, Wilson said.

Planned capacity changes include increasing crisis observation beds (from 6 recliners to 8), stabilization beds (from 6 to 13), sobering beds (from 8 to 10) and social/detox beds (from 15 to 24). Wilson said the CIC model is intended to offer short-term stabilization (including stays up to 72 hours and longer when clinically necessary), local access to medication management and a coordinated discharge and care-coordination process that keeps patients in the community when possible.

Grant and Medicaid billing: Wilson said Comcare received $1,500,000 in KDADS grant funding to support crisis stabilization and the CIC conversion and will pursue Medicaid billing for some CIC services. Staff are reviewing allowable billing practices under the CCBHC/CIC model to identify revenue to support expanded staffing.

Facility budget, schedule and operations: Facilities director Andrew Dilts said the Comcare facility project’s cost estimate has dropped from an earlier estimate around $22–$23 million to just under $20 million after competitive bidding. ICON Construction is contracted for a 2026 completion, with Comcare relocation planned for 2027. The county previously authorized a cash transfer to the CIP fund that could reimburse up to $15.5 million by bond issuance once final costs are known. Dilts said plans include roughly 75 parking stalls as a short-term parking solution.

Finance and reserves: County staff reported a Comcare revenue fund balance of about $28,150,000 and an operating budget near $58,000,000 for the year. Commissioners discussed how much of that balance should be held versus spent on scaling services; staff suggested reserve thresholds and said they would prepare projected scenarios for policy discussion. Commissioners emphasized that investing in staff and operations is a priority.

Partnerships and next steps: Calvert said the number of community partnerships has grown (from about 99 to more than 114), including expanded ties to federally qualified health centers, schools and other providers. Planned service expansions include care coordinators embedded at Second Light, enhanced 988 follow-up, drug-court coordination and housing-focused care coordination. Wilson said KDADS has been engaged in reviewing floor plans and that the county has formed a CIC quality-improvement charter to address the many new regulatory and staffing requirements.

Commissioners commended staff for the data and partnership work and asked for follow-up on PPS rate trends, staffing plans, specific billing opportunities, and parking options. Staff said they will return with more detailed financial projections, staffing analyses and procurement/parking options.

The presentation and discussion concluded with staff estimating project milestones for construction mobilization and future steps for licensure, billing and community outreach.