Policy, Partnerships and Pandemic Response: Building a Better Mental Health System

Host Brent McGinty talks with Kyle Kessler, Executive Director of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, about his career path, the work of community mental health centers, and how state budgeting and policy shape behavioral health services.The episode covers key themes, including CCBHC implementation, creative funding solutions, regional collaboration between Kansas and Missouri, pandemic response, conference-driven knowledge sharing, and the ongoing push to expand access to care through Medicaid and other reforms.