Our Story
Whole-Person Care: Our Commitment as a CCBHC
At Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (SEKMHC), we operate as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, which allows us to offer the kind of whole-person care our region deserves. As the needs in southeast Kansas have grown, we’ve grown with them, from serving just under 4,000 people in 2015 to more than 25,900 in 2024. Our team has expanded, our services have deepened, and our reach now extends across multiple service locations within our six-county area. Through every change, our focus has stayed the same: providing steady, compassionate care to the people who call this region home.
Who We Are
Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (SEKMHC) serves our region as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC). This designation reflects more than a model of care, it's a commitment to making comprehensive, timely, whole-person support available to anyone who needs it. Whether someone comes to us for behavioral health, physical health screening, crisis support, dental services, or ongoing treatment, our goal is the same: care that is compassionate, dependable, and close to home.
Increased Access Across Southeast Kansas
For more than six decades, SEKMHC has grown alongside the communities we serve. What began as a small team in 1961 has expanded into multiple counties, service locations, and hundreds of dedicated staff providing thousands of services each year. As community needs have evolved, so have our services—expanding from traditional outpatient care to integrated behavioral and primary care, additional provider types, school-based partnerships, and strengthened crisis response. Many of these services are offered directly within community settings at the request of our local partners, helping reduce barriers such as transportation challenges and time away from work for families. This growth reflects both the increasing demand for care in rural Kansas and our commitment to meeting people where they are.
Why This Work Matters
Our Impact, Model & Community Responsibility
Improving Mental Health Outcomes in Kansas
Between the 2023 and 2025 State of Mental Health in America reports, Kansas made one of the largest improvements of any state in the nation. Kansas rose from 51st to 18th overall, with especially dramatic gains in youth mental health, early intervention, and access to care.
These improvements did not happen by accident. They reflect the ongoing work of agencies like Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center (SEKMHC), Ashley Clinic, Yates Center Dental, and our growing network of whole-person care partners.
The data shows that Kansas is moving in the right direction, and our agencies have played a meaningful role in that progress.
Each category includes side-by-side bars for 2023 and 2025, making improvement easy to see at a glance:
Overall State Ranking: 51 → 18
Youth Mental Health Ranking: 50 → 11
Access to Care Ranking: 48 → 31
Adult Mental Illness Prevalence: 26.02% → 23.72%
Important note:
For rankings, lower numbers are better. The downward shift from 2023 to 2025 visually represents improvement.
