Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Janet Schalansky today announced the formation of a stakeholder task force to review alternatives to state hospitalization for children as well as acute care services for adults served at Rainbow Mental Health Facility as well as across Kansas. Governor Bill Graves requested that the Secretary form this task force to study issues involving state hospitalization.

The 22-member task force includes children's advocates, consumers of mental health services and parents of consumers, mental health center representatives, educators, hospital representatives, and people involved in business. The task force will be chaired by Laura Howard, chief of staff at SRS. (A complete list of task force appointees is attached.)

The task force will be asked to develop recommendations on the future of Rainbow Mental Health Facility and the Children's Unit at Larned State Hospital and other hospital issues.

In announcing the task force, Secretary Schalansky said Kansas has accomplished a great deal in the last 10 years in the advancement of mental health services in Kansas.

"These services have been largely moved to the community," she said. "The system has demonstrated that timely, individualized community-based services can serve most individuals outside of state hospitals. "As a result, we must continue to examine the future role of state hospitals in our system of care, particularly systems that serve acute care needs."

The task force will be asked to examine the following questions:

*What vision, values, and outcomes should guide decisions for the public mental health system, and what role to hospitals play in that vision?

*What services are needed in order the serve all Kansas children, 12 years old and younger, outside of state institutions?

*How adequate is the Kansas mental health system in providing for acute care mental health needs in the community, and what are the gaps?

*What are the alternatives to state-provided acute care hospital services for both adults and children, and are there private partnerships that could provide these services? What are the benefits and challenges of moving in this direction?

 Hospital Stakeholder Task Force

Elizabeth Adams, Executive Director, NAMI, The Alliance on Mental Illness

Ian Aitken, Chief Operating Officer, Menninger

Ronna Chamberlain, Ph.D., Director of Social Policy Analysis, KU School of Social Welfare

Mary Cole, Social Service Chief, Olathe SRS Area Office

Ric Dalke, Children's Service Director, Area Community Mental Health Center

Shelley Duncan, Vice President of Clinical Services, United Methodist Youthville

Becky Gassman, Social Service Chief, Manhattan SRS Area Office

Patricia Sanders-Hall, Vice President Therapeutics, KU Medical Center

Laura Howard, Chief of Staff, Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services

Randy Johnson
Amy Kelley, Keys for Networking

Jo Lowe, Director of Community Based Services, Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center

Karen McNally, Community Support Services Director, COMCARE

Rose Mary Mohr, Ph.D., Chairperson, Governor's Mental Health Services Planning Council and President of Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas

 Melissa Ness, Director of Advocacy Education and General Counsel, Kansas Children's Service League

Ellen Pickalkiewicz, Director of Policy & Plaiming, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas

Eloise Reeves

Karen Suddath, Director, Division of Health Care Policy, Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment and Recovery

 Eddie Taylor

Colleen Ticer-Voth, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Via Christi - Saint Joseph

David Wiebe, Executive Director, Johnson County Mental Health Center and President of Association of Connnunity Mental Health Centers

 Wendy Wilson, Rosedale Development Corporation

Dwight Young, Executive Director, Center for Counseling and Consultation

Leslie Young, Community Support Services Director, Wyandot Mental Health Center

Page Last Updated: May 29, 2001