A special state task force says treatment options for the mentally ill in Kansas are lacking because the state's two acute care psychiatric hospitals don't have enough space and smaller mental health facilities are underfunded.
The Adult Continuum of Care Committee says in a new report that the state's psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie don't have enough bed space to treat people who need their services and smaller mental health facilities are underfunded and overworked.
The Kansas City Star reports that the committee says the result is an "inadequate safety net" that jeopardizes the well-being of the mentally ill and "puts communities at risk."
The committee comprised largely of mental health professionals, law enforcement and the judiciary, was commissioned by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.