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High Plains Mental Health describes new crisis center, seeks county support
Summary
High Plains Mental Health told commissioners its crisis intervention center in Hays opened May 4 and is averaging about five admissions per day; the agency reported rising service volumes and asked the county for funding tied to interlocal calculations and program growth.
Craig Poe, CEO of High Plains Mental Health Center, told the Ellis County Commission that the agency opened a crisis intervention center on May 4 and is averaging roughly five people a day in the unit. Poe said the center is designed for short stays (about 2.5–3 days) and is intended to divert people from higher‑level state hospital care when possible.
"We opened May 4 and have consistently continued to treat people here at in Hays," Poe said. He told the commission the center expects to serve 800–1,000 people in its first year and noted an average stay close to the licensing expectation of 72 hours. Poe also presented regional service numbers showing the value of services provided in Ellis County rose from $7.7 million in 2024 to $9.9 million in 2025 and that fee‑for‑service collections increased by about 30%.
Poe highlighted recent grant awards that will expand services across rural counties, including a rural health transformation grant of about $1.6 million that funds mobile therapy vans. He described the county funding request as part of the interlocal agreement that calculates each county’s share; the transcript’s stated total for the Ellis County request was unclear in the audio and is recorded in the packet as not specified in the minutes.
Commissioners asked questions about staffing and formulas used to calculate county shares; Poe said the organization was "very close" to fully staffed but still had 10–15 positions open in the regional operation and said new Medicaid rate increases will come into effect July 1. The commission said it would review the packet and follow up during its budget process.
