OLATHE —Governor Laura Kelly joined federal, state, and local leaders on Thursday to break ground on a new 72-bed mental health inpatient hospital in Olathe, Kansas, jointly operated by KVC Health Systems and Children’s Mercy Hospital, according to a media release from the governor's office.
The mental wellness campus will have the capacity to care for more than 3,400 patients annually and will create approximately 150 new jobs.
The $53 million project is supported by a $12.725 million grant from the State of Kansas Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee, which distributed federal American Rescue Plan Act Funding.
“The need to strengthen mental health services is a nonpartisan issue that affects all Kansans, rural and urban alike—and addressing the need pays dividends for everyone,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “A lack of psychiatric beds has been one of the largest barriers to providing mental health care in our state. When completed, this state-of-the-art hospital will take significant pressure off our health care systems.”
“We are really enthusiastic about the options this project is going to bring to the Olathe community and surrounding region to increase the treatment capacity for those in need of mental health beds,” KDADS Secretary Laura Howard said. “This facility will allow more children and adults to get the inpatient psychiatric care they need and positively impacts our continued efforts as a state to improve mental health in Kansas.”
The joint venture between KVC and Children’s Mercy Hospital will create an additional 48 pediatric beds and 24 adult beds. It will also create six private courtyards, walking paths, and dining and activity spaces. The design and healing environment prioritize staff and patient safety, supportive care and treatment spaces, patient wellness, and connection with nature.
“We feel a sense of urgency to partner in new, transformative ways to expand help for children and adults experiencing acute mental health crises,” said Jason Hooper, KVC Health Systems President and CEO. “It’s been absolutely inspiring to see so many steps forward, including Children’s Mercy as our JV collaborator and the Sunderland Foundation and the State of Kansas as lead supporters. Mental health deserves our urgent action, and we want the community to know that there is hope and help for anyone who is hurting.”
“Our country is facing a mental health crisis. This collaboration demonstrates our joint commitment to providing resources and creating greater capacity across Kansas and Missouri to serve children requiring more complex care,” said Paul Kempinski, Children’s Mercy President and CEO. “We continue to see an increasing need for these services each year. In 2022 alone, Children’s Mercy provided care to nearly 3,000 children in our emergency department with acute mental health needs. This new hospital will take a significant strain off area emergency departments that are not well-suited to facilitate care for patients in mental health crisis by increasing access to acute inpatient care designed specifically for their needs.”