High Plains Mental Health seeks county support for new crisis‑intervention center and describes treatment advances

High Plains Mental Health Center representatives presented a detailed plan for a new crisis‑intervention center in Hays and asked Sherman County to consider operational support to help open the facility by the end of the year.

The speaker, identified in the meeting as Chris from High Plains, told commissioners the state has provided $1,380,000 toward construction of a 22‑bed center in Hays but the project still needs about $4,000,000 in fundraising to finish construction. Chris said the center’s projected annual operating budget for the crisis‑intervention center is about $5,000,000 and that counties traditionally provide approximately 4 percent of annual operating costs; that 4 percent share would be roughly $200,000 spread among the 20 counties served.

Why it matters: High Plains officials said the new center will accept both voluntary and involuntary patients (the latter when medical coverage is needed), offering short‑term treatment that could prevent longer state hospital stays and reduce strain on local law enforcement and hospitals.

Key points from the presentation: - The Docking Institute at Fort Hays State University (cited by the presenter) helped estimate bed needs; planners concluded a 22‑bed facility is the initial target, with administrative space convertible to add up to 32 beds if needed. - The facility will accept involuntary patients when clinically required; staff said delays accessing state hospital beds have previously left people waiting in local hospitals for days (the presenter cited an example of an individual waiting 16 days for a state‑hospital bed). - High Plains reported Sherman County had 39 adult mental‑health screenings in 2024; the presenter said that represented 6.32 percent of total screens in their region and used that figure to outline how county assessments could translate into a proportional share of the operating request. - The state provided a construction grant and offered Medicaid reimbursement pathways for qualifying patients, but the project leaders said operating funding remains a key hurdle to opening and sustaining the center.

The presenter also described clinical services the center already provides, including transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for treatment‑resistant depression. Chris said the local TMS program has shown strong results and that current capacity is limited by machine availability; each machine can treat roughly 50 people per year because a typical course is 36 daily sessions over seven weeks.

Commissioners asked timing and funding questions; the presenter said the state wants the center open by November 1 and the construction schedule aims for practical completion in mid‑October to allow setup time. Sherman County officials said they will review the request and "see what we can do to get additional funding" as the presenter requested.

No formal funding motion was taken during the meeting; the presentation was recorded for the minutes and the board agreed to consider funding options.