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Crime Commission and County Outline First‑Responder Wellness Center Plan at 3rd & Broadway
Summary
Sedgwick County, Wichita Police and partners described a proposed first‑responder health and wellness center (Crime Commission to buy Building D) offering peer support, therapy offices, training rooms and a gym; private fundraising pledged $750,000 for programming and commissioners received the update 5–0.
Sheriff Jeff Easter and Wichita Police Department leaders presented a proposal to create a shared health and wellness center for first responders, centered on a building the Crime Commission is negotiating to acquire at 3rd and Broadway.
Wendy Hummel, the sheriff’s health and wellness manager (shown in a video), described peer support and the program’s role in preventing acute staff crises. "Once somebody does open up or decide to open up to somebody in peer support, they are kind of a bridge to…embedded therapist or other resources," Hummel said in the recorded remarks.
Sheriff Easter and Wichita Police leaders said the center would provide 24/7 access to gym and workout equipment, therapy offices, screening pilots and training rooms for agencies across the city and county. The Crime Commission will buy and own Building D and lead a capital campaign to modify interior space; the commission has also pursued grants and private funding for programming.
Officials said a funder told them it would provide $750,000 over three years for programming (trauma training, inpatient options, screening pilots and other services), while the Crime Commission is working to raise capital dollars to remodel the space.
County and city staff discussed operating costs and possible cost shares. Presenters noted a rough estimate of annual building operating costs cited by the Crime Commission (about $273,700 in one slide) and earlier estimates presented to council that put annual program and operating costs in the mid‑hundreds of thousands; County CFO Lindsay Pourosso said she would continue to model where existing funds (for example, Comcare) could legally support salaries or operations but that eligibility requires further analysis.
Council and commissioners praised the concept but pressed for clearer communication about the project timeline and jurisdictional cost sharing. Several council members said they learned details only recently and requested more engagement as the capital campaign and grant requests proceed.
The commission moved to receive and file the wellness center update; the motion passed 5–0.
