December 1, 2009

The Kansas Facilities Closure & Realignment Commission Final Report

The Kansas Facilities Closure and Realignment Commission (FCRC) was formed January 22, 2009, by then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius, to consider closing a number of state facilities including the Kansas School for the Deaf, Kansas School for the Blind, Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility, state developmental disability hospitals, and the Rainbow Mental Health Facility. The goal was to reduce state costs and streamline operations. The recommendations will be considered by the 2010 Legislature.

The FCRC recommended closing the Kansas Neurological Institute and downsizing Parsons State Hospital, both are intermediate care facilities for people with mental retardation; combining administrative functions for the Kansas School for the Deaf and Kansas School for the Blind; and closing the Rehabilitation Center for the Blind and Visually Disabled. They recommended that Rainbow Mental Health Center remain open and that the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services pursue public/private partnerships with community hospitals with an integrated health model, inclusive of community mental health centers and moving toward downsizing state hospitals. The Beloit Juvenile Correctional Facility independently suspended operations.