Northwest Kansas Community Corrections strongly supports the need and implementation of the Crisis Intervention Center in Hays. The CIC will directly address a critical need in our community by providing immediate treatment to those experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis.
I believe this project will significantly improve the lives of individuals suffering from a mental health crisis by providing crisis intervention care for those who are pending inpatient psychiatric treatment at the state hospitals. Too often, those who screen for inpatient services are placed on a wait list, and it can be days or even weeks before a bed becomes available.
The CIC will provide a safe and therapeutic place for them to stay while they await that bed date. Additionally, receiving immediate treatment through the CIC may potentially eliminate a patient's need for a bed at a state hospital, returning them home to their family and friends sooner.
Those suffering from substance use disorders will also benefit from the CIC. Currently, the closest state-funded medical detox facility is over 90 miles away. Those beds are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and finding safe transportation to those facilities can be difficult. Having this service available right here in Hays will be a huge benefit and will help alleviate the transportation barrier, ensuring people receive the appropriate detox services they need promptly.
I am excited to see this project come to fruition and look forward to the positive impact it will have on our community and western Kansas.
— Erin Geist,
director Northwest Kansas Community Corrections