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High Plains Mental Health asks Cheyenne County for continued funding as new Crisis Intervention Center opens
Summary
High Plains Mental Health described its new Crisis Intervention Center and asked Cheyenne County to contribute roughly 1.02% of a $200,000 regional CIC funding line; presenters stressed the center’s role diverting people from state hospitals and outlined transportation, telehealth and training plans.
High Plains Mental Health representatives told the Cheyenne County Board of Commissioners they are asking the county to continue funding regional mental‑health services and to consider a new request tied to a Crisis Intervention Center that opened this year.
The presenter said High Plains uses a six‑factor funding model across 20 counties and that Cheyenne County’s share for the CIC request works out to about 1.02% of the $200,000 line. The representative described the CIC as a 23‑room facility intended to provide immediate care for adults in crisis and to reduce waits for state hospital placement. “We expect a minimum of a 50% diversion rate,” the High Plains representative said, noting peer facilities have seen diversion rates as high as 90%.
Why it matters: The CIC is intended to keep people who are having thoughts of suicide or who may be a danger to themselves or others from boarding in emergency rooms or jail cells while awaiting state hospital beds. The presenter said the center can accept voluntary patients and will triage adults for state hospitalization when needed, and that KDADS and private foundations have been key funding sources so far.
Details and logistics: The presenter said the facility was designed with modest expansion capacity, described a secure transport vehicle funded in part by a foundation grant, and outlined plans to collect local utilization data (beds used, days stayed) to refine future allocations. Officials noted challenges staffing rural clinics and said High Plains has hired additional therapists and is recruiting for a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Oberlin.
Local outreach and prevention: Tracy Monk, community education and engagement specialist, said she will provide in‑community trainings including mental health first aid and QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide‑prevention programs and quarterly outreach visits. Monk said the organization will work with schools, clerks and local businesses to build awareness and reduce stigma.
The board asked about specific next steps and data collection; presenters said they will return with usage figures as operations mature. No formal county funding decision was recorded at the meeting.
