High Plains Mental Health asks Rawlins County for $18,242.51 for 2025 after reporting 97 local clients in 2023

Craig Poe, executive director of High Plains Mental Health, presented the agency’s 2025 budget request to the Rawlins County commissioners, asking for $18,242.51 based on the county-usage formula the agency uses to allocate costs.

Poe said High Plains served 6,978 clients across northwest Kansas in 2023, 97 of whom were Rawlins County residents. The 97 Rawlins County clients received 550 service hours and the agency reported an associated cost of $150,217.00 for services to those clients. Poe provided a breakdown of annual family incomes for the 97 county clients and noted 7 clients were classified as Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI) and 31 as Serious Emotional Disturbance (SED).

Karla McFee described clinical and prevention classes offered to local agencies and schools, and Poe and McFee noted telehealth services at the county’s grade school and high school. Poe said the agency has applied for a grant to create a Crisis Intervention Center aimed at allowing involuntary check-ins and holds closer to the region to reduce pressure on hospitals, EMS and law enforcement.

Farrah Trail, Rawlins County’s board member for High Plains Mental Health, joined the presentation. Commissioners heard the annual report figures and asked no formal questions recorded in the public minutes. The commissioners adjourned the meeting and set the next regular meeting for May 15, 2024 at 9:00 a.m.