Central Kansas asks Ottawa County for 3% increase to sustain school and crisis services

Central Kansas Behavioral Health told the commissioners that county funding underwrites services that Medicaid and other insurers do not fully cover, and asked for a 3% increase in Ottawa County support.

"Those with those externalizing or anger issues, 80 percent showed improvement," Glenna Phillips, chief executive officer of Central Kansas, said as she described outcomes from the organization's school-based behavioral health programs. Phillips told the board the center served 5,309 individuals across five counties in 2025, including 211 people in Ottawa County and 4,093 total services provided to Ottawa County residents.

Phillips explained that Medicaid and Medicare cover therapy and medications but do not cover many specialty community services such as intensive in-home supports and some crisis interventions. She said reimbursement shortfalls and rising costs make county dollars essential to sustain crisis response and local access. "Our total cost for those 4,093 services was $89,219. We collected so far $10,081," she said, noting a persistent gap between cost and revenue.

Commissioners pressed for more financial transparency and asked for 2024 cash-flow and P&L details to compare trends. One commissioner said the county appropriates significant funds to this outside agency and requested comparable historic figures to help judge the request. Phillips said Central Kansas hopes a modest 3% adjustment would help offset workforce and operational pressures and sustain the safety-net role of the center.

The commission did not vote on the funding request at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to include the presentation and the requested increase in upcoming budget deliberations.