Konza Prairie Community Health Center opens expanded Manhattan clinic, adds services including same‑day crowns and implants

Representatives of Konza (listed in the meeting as Contra/Conza Prairie Community Health Center) briefed the Riley County commission on April 17 about an expanded Manhattan clinic, growing patient visits and new dental services including same‑day crowns, implant placement and sleep dentistry.

Dani, a Konza representative, said the health center started in Junction City in 1995 and expanded its Manhattan footprint in September 2024. The Manhattan site now includes two full‑time dentists and multiple medical and behavioral health providers; staff added a full‑time pharmacist and created a pharmacy offering in the building.

Konza reported that roughly 68% of its patient contacts are dental services, a concentration the organization said reflects local need. The center runs an outreach program that screens children in about 80 schools across the region (19 school districts) and reported more than 12,000 school screenings and fluoride treatments. Karen Sisco, Konza’s hygienist who runs the school program, coordinates mobile clinics; Konza said it received local philanthropic support for a Manhattan outreach vehicle.

With the addition of a dentist with surgical skills, Konza said it can now offer same‑day crowns, implant placement and sleep dentistry locally and has begun performing some dental surgeries at the hospital operating room that previously required referrals to Topeka.

On medical care, Konza said it has expanded integrated behavioral health services and treats substance use disorder alongside primary care using medications such as Vivitrol where clinically appropriate. The center serves a patient population that includes a sizeable uninsured cohort (about 20% uninsured) and patients who speak languages other than English; it also receives about 80% federal support for certain victim‑services funding that helps maintain a victim advocate position in local investigations.

Konza leaders said the Manhattan expansion was funded primarily from the health center’s operating resources with limited grant support for pharmacy renovation, and that the board — with a majority of patient representatives as required by the health center’s governing rules — supported the locally funded expansion. Konza said it is pursuing recruitment, including National Health Service Corps incentives for new graduates, and expects service volume to grow as the Manhattan site establishes its panel.

Quote: "Having a provider who has the clinical skill set to do this, is huge," the presenter said of the new dental surgical capacity.

Konza asked the commission to note the center’s role in primary and dental care for low‑ and moderate‑income residents and said it will continue outreach to schools and partners in the county.

Why it matters: the expanded Manhattan clinic creates more local access to dental surgery and integrated behavioral health and aims to reduce emergency‑room visits for dental problems and unmet behavioral health needs.