Expanding integrated care capacity for substance use disorder for southeast kansas

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded $1.875 million to Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center on September 30, 2025, under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.243).

The award funds expansion of integrated care capacity and implementation of targeted treatment and related services for individuals with substance use disorder and co-occurring disorder in rural Southeast Kansas. Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center will deploy evidence-based practices including Motivational Interviewing, Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to increase early interventions, education, and whole-person care. The project will serve a six-county catchment area comprising Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Linn, Neosho, and Woodson Counties, covering more than 3,400 square miles with a population of 63,332 individuals. The priority population consists of individuals 12 years of age or older experiencing substance use disorder, approximately 8,350 people in the service area. The target population resides within a federally designated Health Professional Shortage Area for both mental health and primary health care and includes medically underserved areas and populations.

Performance is located in Humboldt, Kansas 66748. The period of performance runs through September 29, 2028.

Abstract

This project will expand capacity and implement targeted strategies to deliver treatment and related services for individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and CO-occurring disorder (COD) in rural southeast kansas. We will use evidence-based and community-defined practices to increase early interventions, education and whole-person care. This effort will promote long-term stability and strengthen overall community well-being. Project name: expanding integrated care capacity for substance use disorder for southeast kansas service population: our catchment area serves six counties in southeast kansas: allen, anderson, bourbon, linn, neosho and woodson. All counties are categorized as densely settled rural or rural and cover over 3,400 square miles. The population is 63,332 individuals. We will focus on serving the entire population through education and outreach efforts due to the higher prevalence of SUD/COD. Our priority population of focus is individuals 12 years of age or older who are experiencing SUD, approximately 8,350 people in our service area. The population we serve is predominantly white, comprising approximately 91.4% to 95.2% of residents. Black or african american individuals represent 0.8% to 3.3% of the population, and native american residents account for 0.8% to 1.5%. The people in our target population reside in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) for both mental health and primary health care. Our service area contains both medically underserved area (MUAS) and populations designated as a medically underserved population (MUPS). Strategies/interventions: we will utilize evidence-based and community-defined practices to engage community members in treatment and related services for SUD and COD. We will implement living in balance, motivational interviewing, integrated dual disorder treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy, assertive community treatment, medication assisted treatment, medication for opioid use disorder, overdose education and naloxone distribution and drug take-back events. Goals and objectives: the project will serve a total of 15,688 individuals over the course of the grant. 4,760 in year 1; 5,188 in year 2; and 5,740 in year 3. Our two goals are: 1) build internal capacity to deliver SUD/COD treatment services to increase efficiencies and early interventions to reduce substance misuse where there is a high prevalence of SUD/COD; and 2) integrate and expand SUD/COD services into a whole-person health care approach in primary care settings for whole-person care, improve long-term stability and strengthen community safety. Measurable objectives for these goals include providing training in evidence-based practices to strengthen the capacity of current staff and expand services for individuals with SUD/COD. The project also aims to increase the number of individuals receiving SUD and COD treatment by implementing evidence-based service delivery models that strengthen community capacity, address service gaps and improve timely access to care in high-need areas.