WICHITA, Kansas (KSNW) — Wichita and Sedgwick County received a big push Wednesday to attract a mental health hospital to the area. But many of the healthcare providers in other areas are also winners.
The state approved $25 million for a mental hospital in south-central Kansas. The funding comes from the Kansas Department of Elderly and Disabled Services (KDADS).
Sedgwick County Mental Health Hospital
Sedgwick County will use the funds to build a new state-owned and operated 50-bed mental health hospital. Currently, Larned and Osawatomie are the only state psychiatric hospitals.
Officials say the facility will address a shortage of hospital beds and allow patients to stay closer to home and family. Additionally, additional beds reduce prison overcrowding by shortening inmate wait times for assessments and treatment.
The facility will be developed with room for expansion.
At today’s Sedgwick County Commission meeting, commissioners heard that a $25 million announcement was imminent. They didn’t know it would happen today. Governor Laura Kelly issued a news release at 1 p.m. on the Kansas People Strengthening and Activation (SPARK) grant.
“My administration continues to focus on increasing access to mental health resources and care that are the foundation of safe and healthy communities,” Kelly said.
the rest of the winners
The $25 million to mental health facilities in south-central Kansas is only part of the $65.4 million in grants announced Wednesday. Grants also go to a new psychiatric hospital in Olathe, his WSU/KU Joint Health Sciences Education Center in Wichita, a hospital in Derby, and an osteopathic college in Wichita.
“Kansasians with disabilities, those requiring long-term care, and those suffering from mental illness will undoubtedly see positive change and impact as a result of the programs implemented by the winners,” said Scott. Brunner said. said KDADS’ deputy director of hospitals and facilities in a news release.
- KVC Health Systems: New Olathe Psychiatric Hospital Joint Venture – $12.7 million
KVC Health Systems has formed a joint venture to build a new 72-bed state-of-the-art psychiatric hospital in Olathe. The project involves the construction of 3 to 24 bed units, providing the mental health system with an additional 48 adolescent beds and 24 adult beds. - Wichita State University and University of Kansas: Center for Health Science Education (HSEC) – $15 million
Wichita State University and the University of Kansas are partnering to build a joint Health Sciences Education Center (HSEC) in Wichita. The Health Sciences Complex brings together medical education, collaboration and research. Students receive cutting-edge medical education that will ultimately improve health quality and health outcomes throughout Kansas. Initially, approximately 3,000 students and her 200 faculty members will be housed at the center and given the opportunity to grow in existing and new programs. - Rock Regional Hospital: Building Community Capacity – $5 million
As a small, independent regional hospital, Rock Regional works to address the needs of an aging population, declining access to rural hospitals, and overcrowded emergency rooms in urban areas. Rock Regional undertakes an expansion of service providers to provide additional medical capabilities to the community. - Kansas Health Science Center: Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine – $5 million
Kansas Health Science Center – Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine’s class size is expected to nearly double the number of student physicians over the next two years. Once fully operational, it is expected to add 170 new doctors per year. Additionally, the focus is on efforts to keep doctors in Kansas. - University of Kansas Health Systems Care Collaboration: The ASPIRE Rural Transformation Model – $1.1 million
The University of Kansas Health Systems Care Collaborative, a clinically integrated network of 82 healthcare providers across 72 rural Kansas counties, is actively supporting the adoption of new models of care. The project will improve rural health outcomes by strengthening local health care delivery systems through new models of care and by extending successful Medicare programs to Medicaid recipients through centralized telemedicine services. The targeted outcomes are improved quality outcomes in the management of chronic diseases, reduced avoidable emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and reduced readmissions. The first cohort will include rural hospitals and clinics in northwest and central Kansas. - Windsor Place: A Nursing Home Without Walls – $1.6 million
Windsor Place will use its technology to improve consumer well-being and impact the overall cost of nursing home admissions, emergency department visits, hospital admissions and elderly care.・Strict inspections will be carried out on bundles.
