Yesterday, June 29th, Governor Laura Kelly helped break ground on a new 72-bed mental health inpatient hospital in Olathe, jointly operated by KVC Health Systems and Children’s Mercy Hospital. The mental wellness campus will have the capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients annually and will create approximately 150 new jobs.
The $53 million project is supported by a $12.725 million grant from the state of Kansas, Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas , or “SPAR” Executive Committee, which distributed Federal American Rescue Plan Act Funding.
It’s no secret that the United States is facing mental health crisis and the lack of facilities for treatment is making it worse. Kelly says the lack of psychiatric beds is a large barrier. CEO of Children’s Mercy Hospitals, Paul Kempinski, says the new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis.
