Flint Hills Wellness Coalition to Host Mental Health Town Hall on 1.16.25 @ 6:30PM
By Amber Starling, Staff Writer
With panelists from many local service organizations, the Flint Hills Wellness Coalition will host a free, public panel discussion on mental health, tonight, January 16th, at 6:30pm in the Manhattan Public Library. All are encouraged to attend and develop a great understanding of the challenges facing our community.
Deb Nuss, Director of the Flint Hills Wellness Coalition, discussed the purpose of the Town Hall in an interview with WIBW. This meeting is the third domino in a chain. A community health improvement plan (CHIP) conducted by the Riley County Health Department identified mental health as a top issue in our region. The Wellness Coalition responded with a 2023 mental health system assessment—the second domino—which brought together 70 community members to identify and discuss main and overarching issues.
During that assessment, Nuss reports, “There were concerns about lack of mental health providers in the area, long wait times in terms of people being able to get appointments, and just the overall sometimes lack of coordination in the mental health system.”
Community members have experienced enormous hurdles in accessing mental health resources, especially when they need them most. For example, the Pawnee Crisis Stabilization Unit offers holistic, inpatient care for those in crisis but has only 10 beds, serving 11 counties. Wait times for establishing long-term, outpatient mental health care can often range from 3 to 6 months. And emergency rooms, already at or over capacity, must triage life-threatening injuries and conditions like cardiac events and strokes over mental health crises.
Nuss also acknowledged that those suffering with compromised mental health often experience other risk factors as a result. “Mental health is one of those social determinants of health and things like housing, transportation, food insecurity—all those things are interrelated and impact each other.”
When these factors collide, incarceration can often follow. Only one organization in Manhattan, Be Able, targets this at-risk population. They offer a community center, food, clothing, laundry, showers, transportation, employment services, and connection to other community resources. Scott Voos, Director of Be Able, is one of the panelists.
The entire roster includes:
Samantha Brown, Mental Health Liaison, USD 383
Brad Chapin, Director of Behavioral Health, Stormont Vail Health
Bob Copple, President, Ascension Via Christi Hospital Manhattan
Mark French, Captain, Riley County Jail
Nicole Gonzale, Behavioral Health Svcs Director, Konza Prairie Community Health Center
Sonia Ike, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, Katie’s Way
Scott Voos, Executive Director, Be Able Community Center
Sarah Wesch, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
Becky Woodward, Chief Clinical Officer, Pawnee Mental Health Svcs