Crosswinds reports service growth in Chase County, asks commissioners to combine prior appropriations

Crosswinds (the regional community mental health center) presented its 2024 annual report to the Chase County Commissioners on April 14, reporting growth in local clients and asking the commission to continue prior appropriations.

At the meeting Crosswinds representatives said the agency served 160 unduplicated Chase County clients in 2024, an increase of about 57% from 2023, and that expanding local services and a new building helped the increase. The presenter said the agency ended the year with a net income of about $1,900,000 but that $2,400,000 of that amount was restricted for the agency's capital campaign and has been spent on capital projects.

Crosswinds asked the commission to continue the level of appropriations it received last year and requested that a prior $14,600 appropriation be combined with a prior $4,000 appropriation previously awarded to Corner House (a substance-use provider that Crosswinds said it acquired at the end of 2024). Crosswinds said the two prior awards were $14,600 and $4,000 and asked the commission to treat them together going forward. The presenters did not request a new single-dollar appropriation figure during the presentation.

Crosswinds staff described efforts to expand services locally: two clinicians now maintain in-person schedules in Chase County two days a week (Mondays and Thursdays), case managers make regular school and community contacts, and summer youth groups will resume the first week in June. The presenters said some services are delivered through jail partnerships and that those contacts raise the provider's uninsured rate for the county to about 52%; Crosswinds said that jail contacts skew the uninsured percentage upward and that it plans to report community-only and jail-only counts separately in future reports.

The presentation covered the agency's recent acquisition of Corner House, which Crosswinds said consolidated outpatient and intensive outpatient substance-use services under Crosswinds' management. Presenters said licensing requirements for standalone substance-use programs currently require clients to travel to Emporia for some services; Crosswinds described ongoing work to license more local sites and to provide transportation assistance where needed.

Crosswinds also described its mobile crisis services and work with local law enforcement and jail staff to expand on-site crisis response. The presenters said the mobile crisis team can meet people where they are — including at the jail or at schools — to assess and de-escalate situations and to arrange follow-up care when appropriate.

Commissioners asked clarifying questions about staffing, service days, licensing for substance-use treatment and how jail contacts affect local metrics. Crosswinds representatives identified Sarah Stock as the agency CFO and Megan Adcock as a clinical director who participates in county activities; two board members representing Chase County were identified as Jacob and Tina. The presenters asked commissioners to maintain the county's prior funding support and to consider the two prior appropriations together.

The presentation closed with Crosswinds offering to return for future check-ins and to provide county-level breakdowns of services and funding impacts.