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Community crisis care, CCBHCs and clubhouses highlighted as ways to divert admissions from state hospitals
Summary
Community behavioral‑health providers told legislators that certified community behavioral health clinics, crisis stabilization units and peer‑run clubhouses can divert many patients from state psychiatric hospitals — but each requires stable funding and trained staff.
Lawmakers heard multiple presentations showing community‑based alternatives that reduce demand for high‑acuity state hospital beds — but each requires funding and trained staff.
Key points
- Association of Community Mental Health Centers (ACMHC) and local providers described the statewide rollout of CCBHC certification: all 26 Kansas CMHCs are now certified CCBHCs, a model that expands crisis response, mobile crisis teams and evidence‑based practices and moves providers to a prospective payment system intended to reimburse the full cost of services. ACMHC witnesses reported average crisis response times around an hour among reporting centers and same‑week access for initial evaluations and services for many clients.
- Community hospitals and the Kansas Hospital Association cautioned that converting inpatient psychiatric capacity to community hospitals requires significant capital. KHA survey data (61 hospitals) showed 65% of respondents hold 1–5 behavioral health patients a month in emergency departments pending placement; 80% of community hospitals reported no ED space specifically designed for behavioral health holds. KHA estimated start‑up capital of $30–$60 million for a new inpatient behavioral facility and raised concerns about reimbursement adequacy (SIA average ~$1,200–$1,300/day) and service sustainability.
- Clubhouse model presenters described low‑cost, peer‑led centers that support recovery and prevent long stays; Kansas clubhouses reported average annual per‑member costs of about $3,100 with research showing programmatic savings and strong employment outcomes for members.
Funding and next steps
- Committee members discussed HB 2146 (lottery vending machine transfers) that would raise the annual cap to $16 million with 75% for community crisis stabilization funding and 25% for clubhouse programs; witnesses said that funding stream was an important near‑term revenue source for CSUs and CICs.
- The committee directed KDADS to compile a comprehensive inventory of providers and services statewide and to consider incentives or targeted investments that would allow existing community providers (CCBHCs, CSUs, SIAs, clubhouses) to reduce state hospital admissions by expanding diversion capacity and mobile crisis capabilities.
Provenance: ACMHC testimony, KHA presentation and Clubhouse testimony.
