KDADS reports 130+ MHIT schools, 15,000 students served; highlights funding and statute effort

Drew Adkins of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services briefed the Committee on the state’s Mental Health Intervention Team program (MHIT), saying KDADS inherited the program from the Kansas State Department of Education and has expanded it to more schools, including a new qualified‑school (private‑school) option.

Adkins described MHIT as a multidisciplinary, school‑based model that places a school‑based liaison (SBL) in or across school buildings to coordinate services between students, families, school staff and community mental health providers. The liaison is the district’s point person to connect students to therapy, case management, medication management when needed through community behavioral health clinics, crisis services (required to be available 24/7) and family therapy.

KDADS provided program metrics to the committee: more than 130 participating schools, about 240 employed school‑based liaisons, and more than 15,000 students provided comprehensive school‑based behavioral health services since the program’s 2018 pilot. KDADS reported a 97% retention rate among existing participating unified school districts (USDs) and said awards and application activity have increased after the agency added a qualified‑school (private school) funding pathway.

On funding, Adkins told the committee that KDADS now retains $13.8 million in state general fund dollars to continue existing MHIT awards, that roughly $4.5 million was allocated for expansion to new USDs, and that $1.5 million has been set aside as startup funding for qualifying nonpublic schools. KDADS said the MHIT grant structure funds 65% of a school‑based liaison salary through the state grant, with the local USD covering the remaining 35%.

Adkins said services paid via the MHIT grant are required to be provided in person and face to face; referrals for additional services (including medication management) are coordinated with certified community behavioral health clinics (C/SBHCs), federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) or private providers. KDADS said private schools that meet the legislative definition of a "qualified school" may apply for startup funding and must be reviewed by a seven‑member Qualified Mental Health School Board established in the proviso language.

KDADS shared outcomes reported for the 2023–24 school year provided by Kansas Department of Education data: 74% of students showed improved attendance, and roughly 70% improved on measures of externalizing behavior, academics and internalizing behavior in MHIT schools. Adkins said KDADS is pursuing statutory authority for the program and that House Bill 2236 (upcoming hearing) would enshrine the program in statute.

Committee members asked about Medicaid and insurance billing for school‑based services; Adkins said he would follow up with KDHE/Medicaid staff to clarify whether encounters billed to Medicaid are permissible or typical for school‑based service locations. Representatives also asked whether SBLs are single‑school positions; KDADS said SBLs are sometimes assigned across multiple buildings in a district and that districts retain discretion over allocation. Adkins said some FQHCs have more presence in large districts and that medication management would generally be handled through the community provider, not within the school itself.

Ending: KDADS said it will provide additional breakdowns requested by committee members — including counts of public versus private schools served, student counts by school type, and dollar amounts spent serving public and private school students — and that the agency’s FY2025–26 budget and House Bill 2236 will be the vehicle for statutory and funding permanence.