By TONY GUERRERO
Hays Post
The High Plains Mental Health Center Crisis Intervention Center celebrated its grand opening with a ribbon cutting Thursday.
The intervention center on the third floor of the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh St., is set to open for patients Monday. It will provide acute care for clients facing mental health crises or who need substance abuse sobriety.
The facility will be licensed for 16 people and is one of only three of its kind in the state, the only one west of Newton.
Craig Poe, executive director of High Plains Mental Health Center, said at the celebration that it was a meaningful day for the organization and for the communities it serves.
Poe took a moment to explain why the new facility exists, giving examples of those experiencing a crisis in the region without access to help.
"That gap is what this center is built to fill," he said. "The Crisis Intervention Center is not just a new service, it's a different approach. A place open 24/7, 365 days. Specifically for people in menthol health crisis or substance abuse needs."
High Plains Mental Health covers a 20-county region across northwest Kansas. It will provide transportation for patients traveling from other areas and to Larned State Hospital if further care is needed.
The average stay for patients will be 23 hours for sobering and 72 hours for acute care. The center will take both voluntary and involuntary patients. The higher acuity and lower acuity patients are on separate sides of the facility.
Mayor Mason Ruder congratulated High Plains Mental Health at the ceremony for its accomplishment, highlighting the significance of the center.
"You guys are providing a service to those who need it most in one of the darkest times they could possibly have," he said.
Ellis County Commissioner Nathan Leiker was also at the celebration. He said there are always gaps to fill in public service and that the new center helps accomplish that.
"There's been massive improvements in the mental health side over the past five years in our area, and I look forward to seeing what comes here in the future," Leiker said.
The Crisis Intervention Center will be a locked ward. Security will be on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The center has camera monitoring throughout.
The center will also accept patients regardless of their ability to pay.
Poe said he did not originally plan to work in mental health and instead came from a business background, drawn into the field through personal experiences with crisis situations.
While working in human resources for a construction company, Poe said he encountered multiple suicide-related incidents, which ultimately led him into the mental health field.
"This center represents not just a building, but a chance to change outcomes for this community, for this region, for the people we may never meet but who walk through those doors in the moments they need it most," Poe said.
"Thank you all so much for being a part of this. Thank you for believing in it, and thank you for helping us continue to move forward.,"
You can learn more about the center, what it offers and a closer look at patient rooms here. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, visited the center ahead of the ribbon cutting in April.
SEE RELATED STORY: Sen. Moran tours Hays Crisis Intervention Center
You can also visit the High Plains Mental Health Center website for more information.
