For too long, the journey to mental wellness in Kansas has been fraught with challenges. Families across our state have grappled with a severe shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, leading to agonizingly long wait times for critical treatment and competency evaluations. In Sedgwick County alone, individuals have waited an average of 130 days—and in some cases, over 300 days—in jail for a state hospital bed, a stark indicator of a system under immense strain. Emergency rooms, ill-equipped for long-term psychiatric care, have become the default for those in crisis, with pediatric mental health visits surging by as much as 20% annually in recent years.
These challenges are part of a complex landscape, even as Kansas has recently made commendable strides in national mental health rankings, climbing from near the bottom (No. 51 in 2022) to a more favorable No. 22 in the 2024 report. This progress is partly due to the adoption of Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs), with 26 sites now operating across the state. However, persistent issues remain, including a significant prevalence of uninsured adults with mental illness (ranking 42nd nationally) and a concerning rate of untreated Major Depressive Episodes among youth (ranking 44th). A critical statewide workforce shortage in behavioral health, especially for community-level therapists in rural areas, further exacerbates access issues, pushing more individuals into emergency departments and correctional facilities. The existing state psychiatric hospitals, Osawatomie and Larned, are under immense pressure, struggling with staffing shortages and space limitations.
But a new dawn is breaking over South Central Kansas. A groundbreaking initiative, the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital, is rising in Wichita, poised to transform mental healthcare for thousands of Kansans. This state-of-the-art, 104-bed facility is a direct and powerful answer to these pressing challenges, promising to alleviate the critical bed shortage and provide care closer to home.
A Legacy of Care and Evolving Needs
Kansas’s commitment to mental health care dates back to its very foundation. The Wyandotte Constitution of 1859 mandated state support for institutions for the “insane,” leading to the establishment of the Kansas Insane Asylum (now Osawatomie State Hospital) in 1866. Rapid overcrowding soon led to the opening of Topeka State Hospital in 1879, and Larned State Hospital in 1914 to serve the western part of the state. This early period focused on custodial care within large, often isolated, state-run facilities.
A significant shift began in the 1960s with the push for community-based mental health services. Landmark 1961 legislation facilitated the creation of local mental health agencies, allowing counties to establish funding mechanisms. State funding for Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) began in 1974, solidified by the Kansas Community Mental Health Centers Assistance Act in 1987. Despite this, a 1988 report showed over 75% of state mental health funding still went to institutions. This reliance, coupled with criticisms of high hospitalization rates, led to the Mental Health Reform Act. A phased program between 1991 and 1996 reduced state hospital beds, resulting in the closure of Topeka State Hospital in 1997 and Winfield State Hospital and Training Center in 1998. While intended to decentralize care, these closures inadvertently contributed to the acute bed shortages that plague the state today, forcing individuals into less appropriate settings like emergency rooms and jails for crisis management.
Wichita’s Proactive Stance in Mental Health
Wichita has long been a leader in local mental health support. Mental Health America in Sedgwick County (MHA), founded in 1957, has been a cornerstone, pioneering programs like Recovery, Inc. in 1967 and the Pathways program in 1989 for children affected by substance use. MHA expanded its services to include direct care, housing initiatives (providing temporary or permanent housing for around 150 individuals by 1995), and even free bus rides for county residents to visit relatives at Larned State Hospital. Today, MHA offers over 30 programs, including prevention, education, housing, and daily life support, serving all age groups.
COMCARE of Sedgwick County plays an indispensable role in crisis intervention. Its Community Crisis Center operates a 24-hour crisis line, processing over 70,000 calls annually. COMCARE provides crucial face-to-face intervention, including a Mobile Crisis Unit (MCU), and serves as the gatekeeper for Osawatomie State Hospital admissions. Their Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU), a 12-bed facility in Wichita, offers a community-based alternative to hospitalization. Other initiatives like the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program and the Integrated Care Team (ICT-1) work with law enforcement to divert individuals from the criminal justice system into treatment. The Mental Health Court also provides an alternative to conventional sentencing for offenders with mental illness, promoting treatment and reducing recidivism. These robust local efforts highlight Wichita’s commitment to managing mental health emergencies and addressing social determinants of health.
A New Era for South Central Kansas
The new South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital is a direct and robust response to the severe shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds that has plagued Kansas. This
104-bed facility is poised to provide desperately needed capacity for adults experiencing acute mental health crises.
A primary and critical function of the hospital will be to drastically reduce the long wait times for individuals charged with crimes who require competency treatment. The new hospital will dedicate
52 beds specifically for competency evaluation or restoration under Kansas Statutes Annotated (KSA) 22-3302 and 22-3303, with an expectation to serve approximately 200 people annually for this purpose. The remaining
52 beds will be allocated for acute inpatient care for individuals ordered for involuntary treatment under the state’s Care and Treatment Act (KSA 59-2953), with an anticipated annual service of about 1,000 patients. This dual focus directly addresses two of the most pressing issues identified within the state’s mental health and justice systems: the critical lack of acute care beds for civil commitments and the substantial backlog in the criminal justice system for competency services. By providing care closer to home, the hospital also significantly reduces the burden on families and local law enforcement, who currently must transport patients long distances to Osawatomie or Larned.
This monumental $101.5 million project is a testament to the power of collaboration. It’s a strong partnership between the State of Kansas and Sedgwick County. Sedgwick County holds the responsibility for constructing the hospital, while the State of Kansas, through the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), will oversee its operation. Funding is a robust combination of federal and state sources:
Sedgwick County received $25 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds for construction, and KDADS has committed $71.5 million of state funds for both construction and ongoing operation. With construction beginning in early 2025 and an anticipated
opening in Fall 2026, the countdown to a new era of mental wellness has truly begun.
Strategically located at the corner of Macarthur and Meridian in South Wichita, this new hospital is more than just a building; it’s a lifeline. Its location was chosen not only for the high demand for services in Sedgwick County—which accounts for 12% of current state hospital patients—but also for the region’s potential to foster a robust healthcare workforce and establish vital training programs. This development is expected to create numerous jobs, injecting new economic vitality into the surrounding Southwest Wichita community, a neighborhood that stands to greatly benefit from such investment. It’s a key piece of the larger, multi-decade
CrossGate District revitalization, a $300 million development initiative in southwest Wichita aimed at comprehensive community revitalization, encompassing both residential and commercial growth. The surrounding Southwest Wichita neighborhood is densely populated, home to over 16,000 residents, and is characterized by its affordable housing options and a median household income of approximately $48,000, which is lower than the overall Wichita median. The area has historically faced financial struggles, with local churches actively providing community support and resources. The neighborhood is also described as “very walkable” and “bikeable” with “some transit” options, enhancing its connectivity.
The OneRise Health Campus: A Holistic Vision for Community Well-being
But the vision for mental healthcare in Wichita extends even further. Complementing the new psychiatric hospital is the ambitious OneRise Health Campus, a sprawling 70-acre integrative behavioral healthcare campus also in Southcentral Kansas. OneRise is designed to be a true “one-stop-shop” for mental health and substance abuse needs, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of services: therapies, outreach, education, support, housing, and wellness programs, all in one location.
This holistic approach aims to “un-break the mold” of fragmented care, addressing not just symptoms but the full spectrum of an individual’s needs, including stable housing, nutrition, education, clothing, therapies, and legal services. The campus masterplan includes a
Community Care Center (CCC), designed to centralize intake functions and foster collaborative practice among partner organizations, providing non-congregate shelter for privacy and dignity. The comprehensive plan also features a
Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), dedicated areas for childcare, affordable housing, a Medical Office Building/Research/Education facility, Permanent Supportive Housing, and Workforce Housing. The
Behavioral Health Hospital is also an integral part of this master plan, with its groundbreaking anticipated in Spring 2025.
As Matt Tannehill, President of OneRise 501c3 (Lange Community Foundation), eloquently puts it, “We are a better society when we are making sure we are caring for all of those in our community at the best of our capabilities”. Natale Stephens, a Senior Healthcare Planner & Architect involved in the OneRise design team, highlights the “exciting time to change the paradigm and create an example” that possesses the potential to expand nationally. The project’s ambition is to serve as a “world-class precedent for a landscape dedicated to healing (body, mind, and soul), learning, and rebuilding”. The strong community and stakeholder support, particularly from those with direct experience, lends significant credibility and urgency to the project.
The collective efforts behind the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital and the OneRise Health Campus represent an unprecedented investment in the well-being of Kansans. These projects are more than just facilities; they are beacons of hope, promising to foster resilience, promote recovery, and build healthier, more connected communities across our state. The future of mental wellness in Kansas is looking brighter than ever.
Seeing how our comments work. Looks like they do! KansasLand.net