Mental Health in Kansas

Alise David
By Alise David 
Kansas Lawmakers are considering higher pay and better working conditions for mental health workers, which is crucial to the state’s mental health facilities and patients.
As we enter the new year, Kansas lawmakers must keep in mind the two primary mental health hospitals in Kansas: Larned and Osawatomie. Recently, federal representatives informed the state that these facilities, specifically the one in Osawatomie, are not functioning as they should. These representatives ordered the facility to create a plan in order to fix these problems. As the Kansas City Star noted, these facilities are currently funded by Medicare but that funding will be revoked if the hospital cannot create the “therapeutic” environment as demanded.

These two large mental health hospitals are the primary locations for mental health patients throughout the state. Both facilities have been understaffed in recent years, leading to scheduling problems, and burnout. The strain put on these hospitals for basic function has led to a number of unfilled positions. The federal government demands that these spaces have more beds for patients, but if there is not enough staff to fulfill this expansion of extra patients, the hospitals could shut down altogether. 

There are potential alternatives to these hospitals. The state of Kansas needs mental health facilities, so if the two large hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie shut down, they will be replaced. Experts interviewed by the Kansas City Star said that the best solution to make these mental health jobs appealing and accessible is to have smaller facilities and more local centers for patients and their treatment. This smaller environment may create a higher demand for these jobs and more successful coverage of the mental health patients in Kansas. 
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