Kansas governor, local law enforcement discuss safety issues surrounding Larned State Hospital - KWCH

TOPEKA, Kan. (KWCH) - Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday sat down with law enforcement leadership from Pawnee and Barton counties about the ongoing safety issues facing Larned State Hospital.

Barton County Brian Bellendir put out a release on Friday, saying that the hospital has been the topic of conversation in law enforcement circles due to their “inability to accept emergency commitments and security issues.” He went on to explain the 12 key issues of concern to the citizens in western Kansas that were addressed.

Bellendir said he, Pawnee County Sheriff Scott King, Sec. Laura Howard of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Deputy Sec. Scott Bruner, Chief of Staff Will Lawrence and Deputy Chief of Staff for the Governor, Ryan Wright were also in attendance.

Bellendir said some key takeaways from the meeting include:

• Opening one or more “crisis houses” in the western part of the state in which trained staff would monitor a person who is in crisis until the state hospital could accept them. Sec. Howard said the state is looking into the possibility of acquiring unused buildings at Larned State Hospital for this purpose.
• Creating a “single point of contact” for law enforcement to alleviate confusion caused by talking to several different people at the facility. Sec. Howard went on to say requirements for the “catchment areas” enforced by the state may be waived in certain circumstances.
• The governor’s office is also looking into expanding the “mobile competency” evaluations for some individuals. This would help alleviate the backlog at Larned.

Bellendir said the group was advised that a security audit is also taking place at Larned State Hospital and improvements in security are being scrutinized. He said Sec. Howard said the state hospital will be allowed to implement the necessary procedures once they are developed.

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source: https://www.kwch.com/2022/02/12/kansas-governor-local-law-enforcement-discuss-safety-issues-surrounding-larned-state-hospital/

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