Johnson County to open 24/7 mental health crisis center and expand 988 services

SHAWNEE, Kan. (KCTV) - Major steps to expand mental health crisis care are underway in Johnson County.

Mental health professionals say the expansion will fill a critical gap in 24-hour care for adults and help relieve pressure on local hospitals.

The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners approved $1.2 million Thursday to fund 18 positions for a new adult crisis stabilization center and another $225,000 to add three call specialists to the county’s 988 crisis line program.

“The biggest gap is the somewhere to go,” said Rob MacDougall, director of emergency services at Johnson County Mental Health.

For years, options for overnight mental health care in Johnson County have been extremely limited. MacDougall says the new adult stabilization center will help to change that.

“This will provide a better opportunity to provide service for clients in of meeting their needs and avoid what is a more expensive intervention, and avoid sometimes having to sit in an emergency room for days at a time,” MacDougall said.

The 14-bed adult stabilization program will be located at The Recovery Place in Shawnee. The facility is already home to the county’s 10-bed adult detox unit, which helps people safely withdraw from alcohol and drugs.

The new program will serve clients around the clock who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts, depression, or substance use issues. Medicaid revenue will help fund the 18 new staff positions, including a clinician, case manager, nursing supervisor, three nurses, and several behavioral health specialists. These new hires will allow for more one-on-one care and fewer patients being sent to emergency rooms.

“Our hospital emergency rooms are having to board individuals waiting for inpatient placement because there’s not enough beds for inpatient treatment in the region,” MacDougall said.

MacDougall says this expansion builds on existing efforts like co-response, mobile crisis teams, and the crisis line.

“We’ve done a great job with co-response, with mobile crisis, with our crisis line. The biggest gap in the last 20 years, we’ve always had a bed shortage. The biggest gap is the ‘somewhere to go’, that is meant to provide intervention specific to mental health and behavioral crisis,” he said.

In addition to the new center, the county’s 988 crisis line is expanding. staff will soon be able to help people in crisis not only over the phone, but also through text and chat.

“I think it’s gonna make a huge difference with being able to help people through text, especially with the younger population,” said Madeline Ahearne, a crisis call specialist.

Ahearne is one of the people who answers those calls. Last year, the center received nearly 41,000 calls through 988 and the local crisis line. With the addition of three more call specialists, the team hopes to better meet growing demand.

“We gotten a large number of calls from young people on the lifeline just saying they’re worried about their friends, they don’t know how to act, they maybe don’t feel comfortable going to their parents,” Ahearne said.

From young people to adults, Johnson County Mental Health hopes to meet people where they are and provide essential .

“The goal ultimately is to try to save lives,” MacDougall said.

The Johnson County Mental Health Center expects to complete hiring within the next three to six months and begin welcoming clients shortly after.

More information about available job postings can be found on the Johnson County Government website.

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