Statewide mental‑health gaps, inpatient waits highlighted in Shawnee County presentation

Kyle Kessler, executive director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers for Kansas, told the Shawnee County Commission that the state’s mental‑health system has lost significant inpatient capacity and workforce since the decline of Menninger Clinic and Topeka State Hospital and that community centers are now handling more of the need.

Kessler said that at one point Shawnee County had more than 1,000 inpatient beds when Menninger Clinic and Topeka State Hospital operated, and that loss of those institutions removed a major workforce pipeline for psychiatrists, nurses and clinicians. “At one point in time, a few years ago, I heard the statistic that nearly a third of psychiatrists in the country could trace their roots back to someone either them receiving training at the Menninger Clinic or someone who they had been trained by or taught,” he said.

The presentation, delivered to commissioners Aaron Mays (chair) and Commissioner Rippon, and followed by a brief question period from Commissioners Mays and Oakmont, focused on inpatient waits, models of community care and funding risks. Kessler said Osawatomie State Hospital had “a waiting list of over 30” as of the morning of the presentation and that Larned State Hospital also carries a waiting list of “around 5 to 10.” He said those waits mean people who pose risk to themselves or others are sometimes managed by law enforcement or emergency departments while they wait for placement.

Kessler described the community‑based Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model as expanding access to care. He cited a state study by McKinsey & Company that, he said, showed CCBHC investments raised access by roughly 75 percent while increasing costs by about 40 percent. He said every licensed mental‑health center in Kansas must now provide addiction screening and treatment under the CCBHC model.

Kessler warned about proposed federal changes to consolidate the mental‑health block grant and the substance use disorder block grant, which federal policymakers estimated could yield hundreds of millions in savings; Kessler said the association expects a 1–1.5 percent reduction of overall federal dollars that could amount to “$4 or $5 million” lost to the state mental‑health system. He said that type of cut would shift pressure to state and local budgets and recommended directing one‑time opioid or other federal funds to community mental‑health centers to support capacity and workforce development.

Kessler also noted local innovations: Shawnee County has supported crisis centers and recovery programs, and he said the county’s work to add mental‑health capacity in the jail is an example other jurisdictions use. He suggested Family Service and Guidance Center and Valeo explore merger opportunities to strengthen services and workforce sustainability.

Commissioners asked whether the state has considered expanding Larned and Osawatomie; Kessler responded that Osawatomie is an older facility whose structure limits expansion and that upcoming facilities in Wichita are expected to relieve pressure on Osawatomie by serving Sedgwick County patients. He estimated current inpatient capacity in the Topeka area is “in the 20 to 30 range.”

The presentation closed after commissioners thanked Kessler and acknowledged ongoing county investments in local crisis and recovery services.