By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
High Plains Mental Health Center broke ground Tuesday on a Crisis Intervention Center, which will be in the east wing of the Hadley Center, 205 E. Seventh St., in downtown Hays.
Craig Poe, executive director of High Plains, said Tuesday the center will likely be the first of its kind in the state. The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services only made the Crisis Intervention Center licensing available this summer.
The Crisis Intervention Center will offer 22 patient rooms and two de-escalation rooms, with overflow capacity available to accommodate peak demand times.
Patients will stay an average of three days for mental health crises regardless of specific mental health diagnoses.
The center is meant to alleviate the wait list at Larned State Hospital.
Involuntary patients sometimes wait days at local emergency departments or with law enforcement until they can be transferred to Larned.
Those people waiting for long-term beds will be able to come to the center and begin treatment, Poe said in an email to the Hays Post.
"Ideally, these patients will be stabilized at the [Crisis Intervention Center] and not require additional inpatient treatment. However, if they require ongoing inpatient treatment, they will be transferred to [Larned State Hospital] when a bed becomes available," Poe said.
The facility is expected to serve at least 500 clients annually and will be the closest option for residents in 28 western Kansas counties.
"This will be a place where healing and hope will be offered to those in need at their most vulnerable moments," Poe said at the groundbreaking.
The Schwaller Center, founded in Hays in 2002, has been able to accept four voluntary patients. However, the new center will also be able to accept involuntary patients, detox patients or patients who have medical needs.
"Law enforcement or a concerned citizen can bring somebody and say, 'This person is a danger to themselves or others, and they need some help,'" he said.
The clinical team would then validate that person's need to be admitted.
"It's going to be so impactful for the community because we can provide that involuntary care. We've all been in some type of experience with someone in a mental health crisis, and they aren't likely to say, 'I want help,'" Poe said.
Poe said some of these patients might be able to resolve their crises and not have to stay in a state hospital.
"Adding that to this community and the surrounding area is huge," he said.
The functions of the Schwaller Center will be absorbed by the Crisis Intervention Center.
KVC used the third floor of the Hadley Center for youth psychiatric treatment, but the space was not configured for that purpose. The children's services have been moved to a renovated center at 3000 New Way Blvd., which is now known as Camber.
Benito Rivera-Madrid, center project manager, said the space, which has been taken down to the walls, is being reconfigured for use as a psychiatric treatment facility to ensure the safety, comfort and dignity of the people who will be treated at the new facility.
Large single rooms will be divided into two smaller individual rooms for privacy and to encourage patients to interact in a larger community space being cleared in the center of the facility.
The facility will be secure with one or two security guards. Involuntary patients will enter the facility through a separate secure and private intake area and elevator on the north side of the building, Rivera-Madrid said.
Fifty direct jobs will be added within the Crisis Intervention Center, and the center will account for millions of dollars in economic impact on the community, Poe said.
The total construction cost for the center remodeling project is $5,435,496, covering building construction, design fees, furniture, safety features, technology setup and labor.
The Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Service has committed $1.38 million, leaving a remaining balance of $4,055,496, which will need to be covered through other funding sources, including private donations.
"Unfortunately, we don't have two or three years," James Gerstner, High Plains development director, said of the fundraising. "There are a lot of people in very serious life-threatening challenges all of the time."
The state funds are contingent on the center opening by the end of 2025.
High Plains has launched a capital campaign to raise the remaining funds needed for the project. The campaign includes Founding Contributors, who will receive special recognition at the finished center.
Founding Contributor contributions start at $500. Gerstner said there are naming rights available.
Gerstner said pledges that could be paid over several years also will be accepted.
Visit hpmhc.com/giving to get started today, and watch social media for updates and other upcoming opportunities. Contributions can also be sent by paper mail to 208 E. Seventh St., Hays, KS 67601.
For more information, contact development officer James Gerstner at 785-628-2871.
"We really need this space to provide the right therapeutic care for the right people much, much closer to home," Gerstner said.
"Unfortunately, in our area, when someone is in a mental health or substance abuse crisis, they often end up in emergency rooms, or they end up in jail cells. Neither is the place to get therapeutic treatment.
"It sounds a little callous, but that is a drain on hospital resources. That is a drain on law enforcement resources. We can do it in a much better and much more therapeutic way, much closer to home, so someone doesn't have to drive to Larned or Wichita or Kansas City."
High Plains Mental Health is also hosting the Masquerade on Main fundraiser at 6 p.m. May 31 at The Strand in Hays. Tickets are $50. You can also donate directly to High Plains from the event page.
All funds from this event this year will go toward the center project.
If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, dial 911, 988 for the national crisis hotline or 1-800-432-0333 for the High Plains 24/7 crisis line.
Call High Plains at 785-628-2871 to find the service location closest to you. Visit the mental health center's website at hpmhc.com or follow them on Facebook.