Sedgwick County breaks ground on COMCARE Community Crisis Center
(Sedgwick County, Kan.) – Today, Sedgwick County broke ground on COMCARE’s Community Crisis Center, an adaptive project that will expand much-needed access to mental health services. Leaders from Sedgwick County, Helix Architecture + Design, Icon Structures, Inc., Wichita State University, WSU Tech and the University of Kansas Medical Center, as well as local officials, were on hand for the milestone celebration.
The new Community Crisis Center will consolidate operations from two locations at 635 N. Main St. and 1720 E. Morris St. into one expanded building at 235 S. Topeka St., allowing for better coordination between service providers and easing the access of care for patients in a welcoming and comforting environment. The project will strategically combine COMCARE, a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, as well as the Substance Abuse Center of Kansas and Sedgwick County Offender Assessment Program operations, providing collaborative behavioral health services to the region.
“This historic groundbreaking allows COMCARE to meet the growing needs to some of the most vulnerable populations in our community,” Sedgwick County Commission Chairman Ryan Baty said. “Sedgwick County continues to lead the way by expanding and modernizing our approach as a behavioral health provider. The Community Crisis Center will have a long term, generational impact on the residents of our region. I want to thank all of the partners and leaders who prioritize the wellbeing of the people of Sedgwick County and south central Kansas.”
Services will transition from a residential facility to a new level of care as a Crisis Intervention Center (CIC), enhancing the access of care and providing stabilization services to those with more serious mental health needs. The CIC will allow for centralized 9-8-8 suicide and crisis lifeline call center operations and 24/7 access to medical providers. It will also accommodate a broader list of mental health services, including crisis evaluation and intervention, crisis observation and stabilization and sobering and social detox for substance use disorders.
“Operating as a Crisis Intervention Center will have a substantial community impact and allow for immediate access to care for patients,” COMCARE Director of Crisis Services Jennifer Wilson said. “This will allow our team to provide a quicker and more thorough level of care while reducing the demand on state facilities. I want to thank our leaders who recognize the importance of mental health care and give COMCARE the tools to provide immediate resources to anybody who walks in our facilities.”
The Community Crisis Center, projected to be a $20 million investment adjacent to the Wichita Biomedical Campus, will occupy an existing two-story, 35,000-square-foot building and will add a 900-square-foot entrance. The project will include space for a Crisis Intervention Center, Crisis Observation Unit, detox center, patient care, the 9-8-8 crisis line center with text and chat capabilities and staff workspace. Once completed, it will be integrated into the biomedical campus to offer students hands-on clinical mental health training opportunities.
Icon Structures, Inc. will begin construction this month with a completion date of Dec. 2026. COMCARE is expected to move operations at the beginning of 2027.
