Kansas officials detail state-hospital staffing crisis, growing contract-nurse costs and steps to recruit and retain employees

Summary

KDADS officials told lawmakers that vacancies at state psychiatric hospitals required large amounts of contract staff; the agency reported $46.0 million in contract-staff spending at Larned and $15.4 million at Osawatomie in fiscal 2024–25, described a suite of bonuses and recruitment steps that increased state hires, and outlined workforce and

Scott Bruner, deputy secretary for hospitals and facilities at the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), briefed the Legislative Budget Committee on the continuing staffing shortages at state psychiatric hospitals and the agency’s reliance on contracted nursing staff.

KDADS said facility vacancies have been high: campus-wide vacancies in direct-care classifications (registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and mental-health direct‑care staff) have been as much as one third of positions at some campuses; KDADS reported roughly 250 vacant direct-care positions at Larned and about 116 at Osawatomie in July. Agency slides reviewed by the committee show Larned’s on‑campus daily minimum staffing need at full capacity as roughly 27 RNs, 26 LPN‑equivalent roles and about 250 MHDD (mental-health/disability direct‑care) staff. KDADS…

Kansas officials detail state-hospital staffing crisis, growing contract-nurse costs and steps to recruit and retain employees

Summary

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