Regional mental-health providers report 24/7 mobile crisis expansion and warn of Medicaid eligibility losses

Bonnie/Pontiac Mental Health representatives updated the Geary County Commission on service expansions and system pressures, saying the region has boosted mobile crisis response and invested in recovery services while warning of looming Medicaid eligibility losses.

The presenters, identified in the meeting as Mike and Eric, said Kansas’s ranking in Mental Health America reports has improved in recent years but noted earlier data problems. "We have expanded mobile crisis response to 24 7," the presenter said, adding that the program added staff — "a team of about 10 plus a director for the whole crisis service department, plus a clinical manager" — to sustain round-the-clock coverage. They said about 80% of mobile encounters so far resulted in diversion from emergency services.

Why it matters: presenters said the expansions let teams respond to more people in crisis outside emergency departments and reduce strain on hospital resources. They gave prevalence data to illustrate demand: 23% of U.S. adults experienced any mental illness in the past year (presenters equated that with roughly 60,000,000 people), 17.7% had a substance-use disorder (about 46,000,000 people), and nearly 5.5% reported serious suicidal thoughts.

Eric, recovery services manager for Pontiac Mental Health, described local services the agency provides: outpatient group and individual therapy (many available via telehealth), two peer-support specialists, case management tied to a men’s sober-living house that now houses about six men, plans to expand women’s housing, and active partnerships with community corrections and recovery courts in multiple counties. "Most of our clinicians are duly licensed," Eric said, adding that telehealth lets the agency reach people in the western portion of its 10-county area who lack transportation.

Presenters also said the changing insurance landscape poses a major challenge: "about 13,130.00 and 600 people are gonna lose Medicaid eligibility in 2026," they said, and, according to experts the presenters cited, that shift could increase state budget pressure substantially over the next decade. They urged continued use of grant funding and community partnerships to prevent service gaps; presenters noted grant support is being used to subsidize treatment for clients who lack insurance.

What’s next: presenters asked commissioners to consider local funding options for a proposed mothers-with-babies sober-living house; they said they have submitted a funding request to the city commission and were awaiting an update.