Central Kansas Mental Health to Accept $4 Million Grant

February 16, 2021

Central Kansas Mental Health Center (CKMHC) is moving to accept $4 million in grant funding to implement a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic in Salina.

On Monday, the CKMHC board of directors voted to have executive director Kathy Mosher explore moving to the CCBHC model.

“(This) would be a clinic that would be adding enhanced services on top of our community mental health center,” Mosher said to the board members who attended in person and virtually.

Moser said this opportunity would be a welcome addition to CKMHC and the five counties it serves, Dickinson, Ottawa, Lincoln, Ellsworth and Saline, particularly when it comes to holistic approaches to treating mental health.

“It would also coordinate care between alcohol and drug needs, mental health needs and physical healthcare doctors and needs,” Mosher said. “(It) would coordinate that care across all of our partners in the community and the area of these five counties.”

Board member and Saline County Commissioner Mike White made to motion for Moser to proceed with what he called an “exciting grant opportunity.”

There are several program requirements that CKMHC will have to follow as this grant program proceeds for the next two years, however many of those requirements are already being implemented by the center including 24/7 crisis management services and others.

Glenna Phillips, who will serve as the CCBHC director at the center, said it is exciting to be able to have this opportunity in central Kansas.

“Integrated care is the model to go with,” Phillips said. “With the CCBCH, it doesn’t matter what door you come in, you’re going to get the care you need.”

One of the biggest benefits of the grant funding will be the ability to add qualified staff to serve the community.

“We are so short in staff, (like) clinicians and physiatrists, in the state,” Phillips said. “This is a big outcome. As a CCBHC it will help to get us up there at a level to where we can keep people.”

Currently, CKMHC has about 150 people on staff and this will help to add to that number. Phillips said since the program is in its early stages, she’s not sure where that staff will be allocated.

“We’re not sure (at this point) what do we need to have more of, what do we need to have less of,” Phillips said. “Some of the key pieces is care coordination.”

The grant funding will last for two years, after which Phillips said the center is hoping the state of Kansas will take on some of the funding.

“To be certified you have to have the state’s buy-in,” Phillips said. “We really feel this is going to be the direction of care. If the state can’t pick it up right away our next option would be to go back to (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) and see if there’s any other dollars that we could get … to keep it going.”

CKMHC serves about 4,000 clients a year but Moser said it impacts many more through mental health first aid and other trainings and consultations.

CKMHC is among five organizations in Kansas that will receive funding. The others are Wyandotte Center in Kansas City, Horizons Mental Health Center in Hutchinson, SEK Health Services in Humboldt and COMCARE of Sedgwick County in Wichita.

Read more from The Salina Journal here: https://www.salina.com/story/news/local/2021/02/16/central-kansas-mental-health-accept-4-million-grant/6765213002/

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