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High Plains Mental Health asks Ellis County to help fund 22‑bed crisis center to reduce state hospital waits
Summary
High Plains Mental Health Center presented a request for county funding toward a planned 22‑bed, $5 million crisis and sobering facility in Hays that would provide up to 72‑hour involuntary care and reduce long waits for state hospital placement, saying 224 Ellis County residents were screened for crisis in 2024.
Craig Poe, a representative of High Plains Mental Health Center, told the Ellis County Commission the organization is seeking county support for a new 22‑bed crisis and sobering facility in Hays. “This facility is the only type that will be in any of the Western half of the state,” Poe said, and it is designed to provide short‑term care while people are stabilized.
Poe said the project under construction is a little over $5 million and would operate under a short‑term license similar to existing crisis stabilization units. He said the center would be licensed for 72‑hour holds and—unlike the center’s current services—would be prepared to take involuntary admissions when clinically indicated.
The request is tied to an interlocal funding model among 20 counties. Poe said the center’s…
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