Volume 42 - Issue 35 - August 31, 2023

State of Kansas

Office of the Governor

Executive Order No. 23-05
Establishing an Advisory Panel for Planning, Design, and Construction of a Regional Psychiatric Hospital in South Central Kansas

WHEREAS, the Kansas mental health system has an urgent need for additional in-patient psychiatric beds, and the criminal justice system has a need for more timely forensic evaluations and treatment;

WHEREAS, a lack of psychiatric beds is one of the largest barriers that prevents Kansans from accessing mental health resources;

WHEREAS, Kansas has a need for increased competency evaluation and competency restoration services pursuant to K.S.A. 22-3301 et seq., to reduce wait times for defendants to obtain such evaluations and treatment;

WHEREAS, Kansas currently operates state psychiatric hospitals in Osawatomie and Larned, pursuant to K.S.A. 39-1601, et seq.;

WHEREAS, the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), on behalf of the State of Kansas, has entered into an agreement with Sedgwick County to provide funding for planning, design, and other services for the construction of a regional psychiatric hospital in south central Kansas; and

WHEREAS, there should be an open and public process documenting discussion of stakeholders and decision-makers when gathering community input and making recommendations regarding a hospital.

NOW, THEREFORE, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Kansas, I hereby establish the South Central Regional Psychiatric Hospital Advisory Panel (“Advisory Panel”) and order the following:

1. The Advisory Panel shall consist of no more than 14 members selected by the Governor.
2. All members of the Advisory Panel shall serve at the pleasure of the Governor.
3. The Chair of the Advisory Panel shall be selected by the KDADS Secretary from the Panel’s membership. The Vice Chair of the Advisory Panel shall be selected by the Chair of the Sedgwick County Commission from the Panel’s membership. The Chair of the Advisory Panel may establish rules for the meetings and conduct of business of the Advisory Panel. Upon the absence or vacancy of the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall serve as Chair in an acting capacity.
4. Monthly meetings shall occur in Sedgwick County, and the Advisory Panel shall engage stakeholders to elicit feedback on the needs and location of a regional psychiatric hospital.
5. Members shall receive no compensation or reimbursement for expenses and shall serve voluntarily. Officers or employees of state agencies who are appointed to the Advisory Panel as part of their duties shall be authorized to participate on the Advisory Panel and may claim subsistence, allowance, mileage, or associated expenses from their respective agency budgets as permitted by law.
6. Plans, reports, or recommendations adopted by the Advisory Panel shall be considered advice to the Governor, KDADS, and the County and shall not be construed as official policies, positions, or interpretations of laws, rules, or regulations by any department or agency of the state and County government, nor shall any department or agency be bound in any manner to consider such advice when conducting their advisory and regulatory business.
7. An interim report shall be made to the Sedgwick County Commission and the Governor of the State of Kansas by January 15, 2024, with a final report due by June 30, 2024.
8. The Advisory Panel shall be tasked with, the following tasks in order:
   1. Gathering public input on the needs and location for a regional psychiatric hospital, including how a state hospital would fit into existing services or planned services in Sedgwick County and south central Kansas, and researching existing resources, gaps to services, barriers to care, including affordability and accessibility, and opportunities to improve access to and delivery of mental health services in south central Kansas. The Advisory Panel shall consider the public input received and research conducted in making its recommendations under this Executive Order.
   2. Making recommendations on workforce development needed to staff a regional psychiatric hospital and other service providers in south central Kansas in response to adding acute psychiatric hospital beds in the region, including but not limited to recommendations for training programs, talent pipelines, and recruitment and retention strategies.
   3. Making recommendations about the operating model for a regional psychiatric hospital to the Governor regarding integration with existing mental health services in Sedgwick County, the other state hospitals, and acute health care services.
   4. Recommending statutory changes needed to operate a new state hospital including changes to catchment areas, scope of practice, and cooperation with other service providers in time for the 2024 legislative session through the interim report due January 15, 2024, and the 2025 legislative session, through the final report due June 30, 2024.
9. At the direction of the Chair and Vice-Chair, the Advisory Panel may form subpanels composed of members of the Advisory Panel to assist the Advisory Panel in carrying out its tasks under this Executive Order.
10. The Advisory Panel, and any subpanel of the Advisory Panel, shall be subject to the Kansas Open Records Act and the Kansas Open Meetings Act.

This document shall be filed with the Secretary of State as Executive Order No. 23-05. It shall become effective immediately and remain in force until March 31, 2025.

Dated August 25, 2023.

Laura Kelly
Governor

Doc. No. 051452