The new wellness center at 1211 North 8th Street, is set to provide a one-stop location for residents' behavioral and mental health needs.
Wyandot Behavioral Health Network, in collaboration with other local organizations, will operate the center. It will offer outpatient therapy, psychiatric services and treatment for substance abuse disorders.
The downtown center, with its combination of services across the behavioral and mental health spectrum, is a response to a 2022 needs assessment conducted by the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Of responding residents, just over 30% said additional mental health services were the most pressing need for the community. 75% of respondents identified someone in their household who was experiencing, or who had experienced, mental illness
“The vision that we saw kind of aligned with what people who live on this side of the community identified as not being able to access behavioral health care,” said Wyandot Behavioral Health Network CEO Randy Callstrom. “So, no matter where you are on that continuum of need for mental health or behavioral healthcare services, this is a one-stop shop.”
The clinic opened its doors for tours during an open house on Monday, gathering several contributing partners to celebrate the effort.
In remarks before a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, Callstrom said the wellness center was intended to offer more than a conventional health clinic. In addition to mental health services, they have a community room where they’ll eventually invite people to host programs such as yoga, or other community gatherings.
Murals painted by local artists blanket large walls in an effort to create a warmer, more welcoming environment.
“We want people see people who look like themselves and that they feel at home and warm,” Callstom said. “This can be a space for alternative types of healing in addition to professional mental health services as well.”
During a tour of the new facility, staff pointed out additional offices and space for community workers who need a temporary place to stop, do some paperwork or conduct meetings.
Lauren Lucht, vice president of mental and behavioral health at the University of Kansas Health System, said this collaborative approach was a lifeline to the University of Kansas Health System Methadone clinic. The clinic provides medication-assisted treatment for opioid addiction by dispensing methadone to help reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Lucht said their current building is set to be torn down to facilitate an unrelated expansion, essentially handing them an eviction notice. Wyandot Behavioral Health Network picked up the phone when she called and offered space in the building for them to run the clinic.
Dr. William Gabrielli of the University of Kansas Health System added that this building would preserve 60 years of legacy for the methadone program founded in 1966, one of the nation's oldest such services.
“The program touches the lives of people at a difficult time in an intense way, making a really important difference in their lives,” he said. “There are now alternative treatments, but for some, there is no alternative to methadone.”
The Downtown Wellness Center will open March 9 and operate Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Individuals seeking services at the new site can call 913-328-4600 or schedule an appointment online. Same-day walk-in appointments will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
