KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Staff at the Johnson County Mental Health Center say helping youth in crisis is one of the most significant gaps in mental health care.
Too often, they say, youth in need of mental health services are brought to the detention facility or admitted to a hospital.
But now there’s a safe place young people can go when they experience a mental health crisis.
The establishment of a youth crisis stabilization center in Johnson County will help address the gaps in care.
“We are excited to get the kids in here and provide treatment and care,” said Kevin Kufeldt, director of addiction and residential services, in Johnson County. “It'll be a 3 to 5 days length of stay. It’s enough time for us to get them in here, stabilize the emotional behavioral issues, work with the family, and talk about the discharge plan home.”
Kufeldt said studies show 65% to 70% of minors in the juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health condition, and 65% also have a substance disorder.
“I think it’s a gap in services, to youth and family that are in crisis that hasn’t been here before,” said Ellen Hawkes, Director of the Juvenile Services Center. “It’s going to allow them to be in an environment that has staff that specialize in wrap-around services, pertaining to that crisis and that is going to be something that’s very important because it hasn’t been there before. To be able to create a pause and a safe one at that, is a huge relief to my staff because that will allow them to have that time out and back into the family.”
The Youth Crisis Stabilization Center, 920 W. Spruce St., Olathe, will provide early intervention services and focus on treatment and rehabilitation as an alternative to detention.
The center is a short-term, safety-focused new option for teens who are experiencing a mental health crisis.
Molly Graves, the program manager at the center, said a treatment team will work with youths and their families during their stay. The goals are to return home and a plan for continuing care.
The residential program will be located in the Johnson County's Youth and Family Services Center in Olathe.
The center's staff will include a clinician, a case manager, a nurse, an admissions coordinator, and several behavioral health specialists.
The staff will provide around-the-clock treatment and supervision.
An intensive level of care with case management will be available, along with group and family therapy.
Graves will run the program, one she says is a proactive service.
“The hope would be this would come in a bit sooner, catch things a bit earlier,” Graves said. “I’m hoping this is just a more proactive service. I think a lot of people get to their wit's end, whether it's the kids, the families or services providers. Whether it be external behaviors of them acting out some acts of aggression, some law enforcement or internal someone trying to hold it in and them boiling over.”
For kids ages 10-to-17, it’s immediate help.
“Had this service been available before, maybe their son or daughter would have gone into the hospital setting or maybe their son or daughter could have avoided going into the detention center,” said Kufeldt.
In Sheila Albers case, it means maybe a life saved.
Sheila Albers’ 17-year-old son,John, was killed by an Overland Park police officer in 2018 after a 911 call and a plea for a welfare check after he posted a concerning social media video.
Sheila has pushed for many changes concerning policing and mental health services and she serves on the Juvenile Corrections Advisory Board and she helped create this new space for care.
KSHB 41 News Reporter Megan Abundis spoke with Albers on the new space.
“These services were not available six years ago,” Sheila Albers said. “Now there are places parents can go with their child to get services, and families will have options, dramatically changing the landscape for mental health services in Kansas City. It gives me such a sense of peace.”
"She knows there are children out there like her son that would benefit from services being available like this,” Kufeldt said. “Any intervention is the potential to save lives.”
Graves said they will work closely with Johnson County's Juvenile Intake and Assessment Center(JIAC) operated by the Johnson County Department of Corrections.
Area school districts, law enforcement, CIT officers and co-responders are all aware of the new center, too.
“The school districts, getting together with school resource officers, talking with those principals and social workers, they are our front line, too," Graves said. "So as they are seeing behaviors boil over, we can intervene and provide that early intervention, too."
Graves said the goal of a young person leaving is they’re safe to themselves and others and have a plan for help going forward.
The Youth Crisis Stabilization Center will provide care for young people between 10-years-old and 17-years-old.
Graves said youth could expect to stay, with parental consent, three to five days in treatment.
In February, 2024, the Johnson County Board of County Commissioners authorized a $1,480,750 grant from the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to establish the Youth Crisis Stabilization Center.
The center hopes to open families by the end of August.
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KSHB 41 reporter Megan Abundis covers Kansas City, Missouri, including neighborhoods in the southern part of the city. Share your story idea with Megan.
