~~ Final Negotiations on the Property to Begin Soon~~
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) today announced that a plot of land near MacArthur and Meridian in southwest Wichita will be the site of the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital. Additionally, today, the Sedgwick County Board of County Commissioners authorized Sedgwick County to begin negotiations on the selected site for the project.
The site review committee, composed of Sedgwick County and KDADS staff, reviewed 11 properties and three building proposals before presenting the final recommendation. That recommendation included public input from a town hall.
“All of us on the review committee and involved in the site selection process are excited to continue progress toward building the regional hospital,” said Scott Brunner, KDADS Deputy Secretary of Hospitals and Facilities. “Selecting a site lets us move forward with the design process and allows us to have a more focused conversation with residents and a discussion with stakeholders about incorporating state hospital services into what is already available in Sedgwick County and the region as a whole.”
The South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital will serve acute inpatient mental health patients. It will also be the location for adult forensic beds to alleviate jail overcrowding and shorten wait times on pending evaluations and treatment. The facility will expand access to additional in-patient mental health beds in the region and allow patients to remain closer to home and family while receiving care.
Kansas currently operates state psychiatric hospitals with similar treatment in Osawatomie and Larned.
Through Executive Order 23-05, Governor Laura Kelly established a 14-member South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital Advisory Panel to gather public input and make recommendations on the facility's operation, location, and workforce development needs.
The Panel will examine how a state hospital would fit into existing or planned services in the region and identify existing resources, gaps in services, and opportunities to improve access to mental health services.