Local mental‑health provider reports surge in mobile crisis responses; county corrections flags detention impacts from new state law

A representative of the community mental‑health center told Riley County commissioners on June 22 that mobile crisis services have expanded sharply and that the county’s portion of demand is growing.

The presenter said year‑to‑date mobile crisis utilization in Riley County reached 343 contacts and that, for May, the center handled 84 mobile‑crisis dispatches locally and 676 crisis contacts across its 10‑county service area. The presenter also said the program costs roughly $700,000 annually with “almost no reimbursement,” and asked the county to consider partnerships to expand services for children, including a youth crisis unit if resources allow.

Megan Lewis, Community Corrections, gave the board a monthly update on juvenile and adult supervision: 36 juvenile intakes for May (28 in Riley County), 25 youth in the immediate intervention program, 19 on juvenile intensive supervision in May, 103 adults on supervision (88 on intensive supervision) and 22 participants in the recovery court for May. Lewis warned that House Bill 2329 will change the Kansas detention assessment tool and likely increase use of detention beds statewide; local implementation details and legal guidance from Kansas Department of Corrections are pending.

The county did not commit additional funding at the meeting, but staff and commissioners discussed the possibility of partnering with the mental‑health provider on a youth unit and asked the provider for cost estimates and staffing models to support next‑step decisions.

What’s next: the mental‑health provider will supply written utilization data and a copy of the annual report referenced in the presentation; county staff will evaluate partnership options and report back.