AP News reports Kansas agreed to reopen 30 beds at Larned and use best efforts toward a 52-bed Wichita hospital after a settlement over competency-service waits.
Kansas settlement addresses competency-service waits
AP News reports that Kansas reached a legal settlement requiring steps to increase psychiatric hospital capacity for criminal defendants who need mental health evaluations or treatment before they can stand trial. The agreement resolves a federal class-action lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Kansas and the National Police Accountability Project.
According to AP News, the lawsuit alleged that defendants faced unconstitutionally long waits for competency services, leaving some people in jail for months or years. The report said some individuals spent more time in jail awaiting treatment than the maximum possible sentence for their alleged crimes.
Beds planned at Larned and Wichita
Under the settlement, AP News reports that the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services will reopen a 30-bed unit at Larned State Hospital by January 2025. The unit had previously closed because of severe staffing shortages.
AP News also reports that Kansas pledged to use its best efforts to open a new 52-bed psychiatric hospital in Wichita by January 2027. The planned facility would serve as a South-Central regional hospital, according to the report.
Local evaluation services and staffing
The settlement includes commitments to expand mobile competency evaluation services, AP News reports. Those services could allow some evaluations to take place in local jails instead of requiring transportation to state hospitals.
According to AP News, the state also agreed to seek increased legislative funding to address chronic understaffing at Larned and Osawatomie state hospitals. The report said low wages and difficult working conditions had contributed to reliance on contract nursing staff.
AP News reported that the agreement is intended to address a backlog of hundreds of people waiting for state services. The report described the settlement as a change in Kansas’ approach to the intersection of criminal justice and behavioral health, with an emphasis on increasing capacity and decentralizing some services.
What this means for Kansas patients
This settlement concerns competency evaluations and treatment for criminal defendants, rather than general outpatient care. For people seeking treatment locally, the directory lists 36 published clinics in Kansas and can help identify nearby options to discuss with a qualified provider.
This is general information, not medical advice.
More Kansas reporting on policy & funding.
This report is educational and is not medical advice. Coverage, availability and eligibility can change; verify details with the named source or your care team.