Despite funding challenges, the Mental Health Center of East Central Kansas is holding its own financially, Lyon County commissioners learned during their Thursday morning action session.
“That is the result of several years of pretty aggressive work and pretty frugal spending,” Director Bill Persinger said. “...The mental health center isn’t doing too bad right now...”
Even though the center is holding its own, Persinger said he doesn’t know where else to go for funds.
“I don’t know where else I would go to save money or get additional money,” he said. “We just don’t have a lot of other places we can go to cut and try to save money.”
Persinger said all seven counties the center serves held the line on funding for 2010 — something that is appreciated, he said. If the state continues to cut funding, however, the center will be forced to take additional measures, he said. The center doesn’t have waiting lists for services but it’s something that could be possible if funding continues to be cut.
“We can’t sustain any more cuts,” Persinger said.
Persinger said in general, the mental health center is seeing an upswing in admissions, including a 25 percent increase in referrals in children. The mental health center has expanded its services to children into schools in Emporia and other towns like Osage City, Burlingame and Council Grove. Persinger said four people were hired to work in Emporia schools.
The mental health center also has hired additional staff to work in the emergency services area.
“We’ve been very slammed in emergency services for quite a while and much so for the past six months,” Persinger said, adding that two full-time therapists work in emergency services and people are on call at night.
In other business, commissioners approved:
• A minor plat at 4400 W. 30th Ave.
• Sending Cory Doudican and Lance Delgado to HITS conference in Los Angeles using funds from the drug forfeiture fund.
• Sending three officers from Emporia Police Department to Desert Snow Training in Topeka using funds from drug forfeiture fund.
• Using $500 from the Diversion Fund to purchase preliminary breath test machine and supplies for the Kansas Highway Patrol.
• Signing the Kansas Department of Transportation Noxious Weed contract.
• An entrance application on Road 190 (30th Avenue) west of Graphic Arts Road.
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