Guidance Center asks Atchison County to restore funding as it outlines expanded mental‑health services

Stevie Durkin, chief executive officer of the Guidance Center, told the Atchison County Commission on June 10 that the center has expanded services and staff under a federal/state certified community behavioral health clinic (CCBHC) reimbursement model and asked the county to reestablish direct financial support.

Durkin said the CCBHC model changed reimbursement to be cost‑based, allowing the Guidance Center to add services such as individual placement and support (IPS) for employment, assertive community treatment (ACT) teams for high‑need adults, mobile crisis response and a crisis stabilization unit. "We will not turn people away if they cannot pay for service required services," Durkin said, describing the agency's obligation to serve residents regardless of ability to pay.

The request to the county was framed as an effort to help the center manage a continuing rise in uninsured patients seeking care. Durkin said Atchison County was the only county in Kansas that at the time of the meeting did not provide direct financial…