Walt Hill (CEO of High Plains MHC) and Ken Loos (Manager of Community Prevention, Education and Outreach) participated in the 35th Annual Conference of the Kansas Association of Counties (KAC), November 14 – 16, at the Convention Center in Overland Park, Kansas. The KAC, according to their website, is a quasi-public agency, which seeks to advance the public interest by promoting effective and responsive county government in Kansas. The Conference provides an opportunity for county commissioners and county employees to network and participate in a number of workshops/presentations covering a wide range of topics.
High Plains has sponsored an exhibition booth for the last several years. By providing information on High Plains’, county commissioners are able to ask questions regarding mental health services and related programs. This opportunity for informal conversations with county commissioners from Northwest Kansas is a great way to remind lawmakers about the importance of mental health services in rural Kansas. Such an informal setting with commissioners is also an effective way to fight some of the misperceptions or stigma they may have on the topic of mental health.
Walt and Ken also were presenters during the Conference. Walt was joined by David Wiebe (Director, Johnson County Mental Health Department) and Michael Hammond (Executive Director of the Kansas Association of Mental Health Centers) on the topic of “Changing through Crisis: Community Mental Health Centers.” The focus of their discussion was on the ongoing challenge of growing caseloads and funding cutbacks. It is inherently difficult for mental health centers to provide the necessary and mandated services to clients, while at the same time trying to deal with significant state funding cuts. Unfortunately, the economic challenge does not appear to be ending any time in the near future.
Ken’s presentation was “Wanna Help? Mental Health First Aid.” He gave an overview of Mental Health First Aid, which is a 12-hour evidence based public education program provided by High Plains and certified through the National Council for Community Behavioral Healthcare. Ken talked about the number of people certified in Northwest Kansas (78 in 2009 and 155 so far in 2010) and the increasing interest in the program. He also talked about the pragmatics of offering this class to a 20-county catchment area and the positive feedback received from participants in such diverse areas as law enforcement, EMS, school personnel, hospital personnel, and faith communities.