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Kelly highlights EMS strain and new crisis stabilization centers as county priorities
Summary
Chair Mike Kelly said Johnson County has seen a 70% jump in Med‑Act call volume since 2015, described recent EMS facility and staffing additions, and highlighted newly opened adult and youth crisis stabilization centers intended to reduce ER visits and jail placements.
Johnson County Board of County Commissioners Chair Mike Kelly said expanding emergency and crisis services is a top county priority, citing increases in demand and recent local investments.
"When you call 911 in Johnson County, somebody picks up within 15 seconds. And an ambulance, if you need it, is at your door within 10 minutes anywhere in this county," Kelly said during the State of the County address, then noted that Med‑Act call volume has risen about 70% since 2015 to roughly 236 calls per day. He tied that growth to population change and aging demographics.
To respond, Kelly said the county opened two facilities in 2025—the Olathe Med‑Act station and the Sunflower Fire Station in De Soto—and added nine emergency medical positions to improve coverage during peak demand. He said the county will work to prevent first‑responder burnout and ensure Med‑Act has the resources it needs.
On behavioral‑health response, Kelly described a newly opened adult crisis stabilization center and a youth crisis stabilization center in Olathe. "Before that, if you needed crisis stabilization in Johnson County, you had three options: you could go to the emergency room, you could go to a facility in Wyandotte County, and all too often you'd just end up in jail," he said, adding the new centers provide on‑site clinicians, caseworkers and a pathway to care.
What was not specified: Kelly did not present specific budget figures for the new facilities or ongoing operational costs, nor did he provide a schedule for additional staffing or service‑level targets beyond the recent hires and openings.
