Central Kansas Mental Health Center Receives $4M Grant

Central Kansas Mental Health Center

Central Kansas Mental Health Center (CKMHC) has been awarded a four-year, $4 million grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

CKMHC will receive $1 million over four years to continue implementation of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model of care.

Funding will help promote needed CCBHC best practices and introduce new programs. This includes expanding cooperative responders, establishing mobile crisis teams, providing community education and outreach, and attracting and developing professional staff. These programs increase access to care, facilitate emergency intervention and improve care coordination for patients.

“This is an exciting step forward,” said CKMHC Executive Director Glenna Phillips. “We are growing rapidly to meet the demand for care. Funding will provide essential capacity for mental health and physical care and build the infrastructure needed to meet the growing demand, integrated into the health care system and community support services.”

Phillips emphasized that this funding will have a far-reaching impact. “As an organization we understand that mental health care happens wherever a person is, and we know that mental health crises require a community-wide response,” she says. “This grant is truly externally focused, helping us strengthen partnerships and provide comprehensive, integrated and community-based care for those in need.”

Jennifer Kaufman, CCBHC Project Director, has been an integral part of CCBHC’s transition since the beginning. “CCMHC has worked hard over the past 18 months to successfully implement the CCBHC model of care,” she said. “SAMHSA’s funding will allow us to continue refining our processes, revitalize services we know our community needs, and ensure sustainability when the funding ends. We look forward to strengthening our community partnerships as we continue this transformation process.

CKMHC began the transition to CCBHC in 2021 with a two-year SAMHSA grant. At that time, the state of Kansas was committed to the CCBHC model.

By signing HB 2208, the Kansas Department on Aging and Disabilities (KDADS), which administers the CCBHC program statewide, hopes that all 26 Kansas community mental health centers will become CCBHCs by the end of 2024.

CKMHC’s original SAMHSA grant expires in early 2023, but the two-year grant has supported the implementation of new services and increased CKMHC’s staff to meet growing needs. New services include same-day access and patient navigators, and staff continues to grow to more than 160. CKMHC received provisional CCBHC license from KDADS in May 2022.