KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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Johnson County, Kansas, is making it clear that mental health matters. The county invested nearly $1.5 million to expand the help it offers.
County officials are putting that money toward 24/7 care for adults in a new crisis stabilization center, along with additional support for the 988 crisis line.
“Our main responsibility is taking those crisis calls and helping members of our community who are in crisis,” said Laura Childers, Johnson County 988 team lead.
988 is a nationwide crisis hotline, and people are answering those calls right here in Johnson County.
Childers hears what a crisis sounds like every day. She shared how this expansion will help.
“Sometimes those can last for 15 minutes, and sometimes they can last for 45 minutes,” Childers said. “It's very busy helping so many people in crisis at once.”
Soon, there will be three more 988 call takers. The hotline will also begin accepting 988 text messages in an effort to become more accessible to teens.
“We know that a lot of the adolescent population prefers text and chat communication,” Childers said. "We hope that this will help access the services quicker when they're in crisis."
The 988 expansion is part of a larger effort to strengthen county mental health services.
“We have looked and taken a real, intentional approach at how we can build an effective crisis continuum,” said Tim Deweese, Johnson County Mental Health director.
Deweese said the county has also invested in creating an adult crisis stabilization center.
“Maybe this person could use a little more intensive support. Maybe we want to provide a little evaluation. Maybe they just need to get time away from their house,” DeWeese said. “They could be encouraged to go to the crisis stabilization center.”
The new center will provide 26 beds specifically for people in crisis, offering an alternative to jails or hospitals.
“That's correctional in nature and not recovery in nature," he said. "And what we know is that when it comes to substance abuse, we can't correct our way out of this."
This will be the first facility of its kind in Johnson County. Until now, those needing 24/7 crisis care were sent to Wyandotte County.
“People who are in crisis, a lot of the time, it's just helping them find the next step,” Childers said.
The county board has approved positions for three new call takers and 18 stabilization center workers. Officials hope the new adult crisis stabilization center will begin welcoming patients within a few months.
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