In their quest to have better health care representation on the board of directors of the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center, Allen County Commissioners decided to appoint one of their own.
Commissioners unanimously appointed Commission Chairman Jerry Daniels to fill the second vacant seat at Tuesday’s evening meeting. Daniels will join Richard Zahn, who was appointed to the board last week.
In an interview with the Register last week, Commissioner John Brocker said the commission’s goal was to have at the table those with “some health or public health experience.”
Zahn is retired from the pharmaceuticals industry. Commissioner Daniels sells real estate, farms, and runs a helicopter business.
The appointments follow a wave of concern among commissioners and community members over executive compensation at SEKMHC. Board members Ken McWhirter and Walt Regehr were removed from their positions after the commission received what it described as “numerous complaints” about the salaries of the nonprofit’s top executives.
At the center of the controversy is SEKMHC CEO Nathan Fawson, who in 2023 received $436,133 in salary and an additional $191,941 in benefits, according to the organization’s IRS Form 990. Including the five other executives at the mental health center, executive pay amounted to $2.2 million in salaries and benefits that same year, with individual compensation ranging from $276,555 to $444,282.
Fawson, who has led SEKMHC since 2013, is also responsible for setting salaries for those top positions. The organization works with two consulting firms — The Hebets Company of Phoenix and Mercer Consultants at the state level — to guide executive compensation decisions.
SEKMHC, which serves six counties — Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Linn, Neosho, and Woodson — is funded largely through Medicaid, which provided approximately $26.6 million in 2023. Additional income stems from its recent acquisition of Ashley Clinic and its associated pharmacy in Chanute, along with Medicare and private insurance revenue. County support accounts for a modest share, with the six counties collectively contributing about $550,000, or less than 1% of SEKMHC’s total budget.
Each participating county is entitled to two appointments to the board. With their recent decisions, Allen County commissioners have joined a growing trend among the region’s counties in choosing to appoint their own members.
Daniels’ role on the board will be temporary. The position will rotate to whomever is serving as chairman.
“This means you’ve got this for the remainder of the calendar year,” Lee told Daniels during Tuesday’s meeting. “I will take it for the next one. John has it third, and so on and so forth.”
Elsewhere in the region, similar changes are underway. Linn County appointed Commissioner Jim Johnson to its board seat on Monday. In Woodson County, Commission Chairman Justin Clark will now represent the county on the SEKMHC board. Neosho and Anderson counties are still weighing their options. “We’re looking at that situation and, come budget time, we’ll probably make a decision,” said Neosho County Commissioner Paul Westhoff. Anderson County Commissioner Anthony Mersman said no final decision has been made. Bourbon County commissioners could not be reached for comment before press time.
IN OTHER NEWS, Sheriff Anthony Maness sought a letter of support from commissioners to apply for a law enforcement mental health and wellness grant through the Department of Justice. The grant helps fund the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers and their families through the implementation of peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, stress reduction, and clinical support.
“I got a call from Thrive to say that they couldn’t apply for this grant for us,” noted Maness. “The governmental entity has to apply for it. We want to make sure that you’re aware and see if you’re interested in it.” He added that it is a $200,000 grant that is designed to pursue a mental wellness program over two years.
Commissioners unanimously agreed to give support for the grant application process.
“They’re only issuing 55 of these grants across the nation, so I don’t know if we’ll get it,” said Maness. “But, if we can get support, I’ll take it wherever I can get it.
