What do we stand to gain from a weaker Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center? The answer, of course, is very little.
Recent coverage of the nonprofit’s executive compensation structure has drawn warranted scrutiny. It’s a conversation that needs to continue. When a nonprofit organization accepts taxpayer dollars — whether through grants, Medicaid reimbursements or contributions from local government — it enters into a sacred relationship with constituents, one where a shrewd and frugal use of funds is part of the bargain. Easily broken, that trust is very hard to earn back.
But Allen County commissioners should avoid the path taken by their contemporaries in Anderson County, who recently moved to suspend a $32,000 payment to the nonprofit.
Nathan Fawson, chief executive officer for SEKMHC, approached Allen County commissioners Tuesday to discuss the county’s financial support. Last year, Allen County contributed $167,038. Funds are used to pay for care provided to those who don’t have health insurance or qualify for Medicaid.
Could SEKMHC survive without the county’s contribution? Sure. The combined support from the organization’s six-county service area, Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Linn, Neosho and Woodson, is less than 1% of the nonprofit’s budget. It’s safe to say they would find ways to adjust.
But that’s not the point. Any anger commissioners feel over the nonprofit’s executive compensation should not be manifested by harming those who receive services. To do so is to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.
SEKMHC has grown exponentially in recent years, adopting a whole-body model of care that came with their Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic certification.
For us in Allen County, that means our residents have better access to critical services. Same-day appointments for crisis care. Embedded therapists in our public schools. Over 90 locations across the six-county service area. Walk-in medication management. A 24/7 crisis line.
Yet there is so much more to do. Allen County’s rate of premature deaths is well above state and national averages, according to the Kansas Health Institute. Our mental health providers rate remains well below our peers. And recent tragedies locally bear witness to how deep the wounds are when we lose someone to substance abuse or suicide.
Diminishing Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center’s capacity would only harm ourselves.
At a time when it’s abundantly clear federal and state funding cannot be counted on, it’s also a dangerous thing to do. We know the risks. Do we want more unattended crises, more substance abuse, more violence?
Our leaders should choose a different path: a county that continues to invest in our community’s mental health.
If county commissioners are concerned about executive compensation, we have full confidence SEKMHC leadership will be willing partners to address those concerns. Dialogue is the answer.
Reducing the organization’s ability to serve our community is not.
— Tim Stauffer and Susan Lynn
