780 Discussion III
Michael Moates
In Wichita, KS - 67203, adults experiencing depression and other serious mental health conditions are served by a dense network of mental health collaborations and community partnerships. COMCARE of Sedgwick County functions as the anchor community mental health center and operates as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), with Community Support Services on W. 21st St. and a 24/7 Community Crisis Center on N. Main (COMCARE, n.d.-a, n.d.-b, n.d.-c). COMCARE collaborates closely with law enforcement, EMS, and local hospitals to provide crisis intervention, community-based rehabilitation, and linkage to ongoing outpatient and community services (COMCARE, n.d.-a, n.d.-b). These cross-sector partnerships are essential for identifying individuals with depression, stabilizing them during crises, and ensuring continuity of care after emergency encounters.
The Mental Health & Substance Abuse (MHSA) Coalition brings COMCARE, hospitals, the city and county, and nonprofit agencies together around shared policy and system-level goals to create an accessible, integrated continuum of care for people with mental illness and substance use disorders (MHSA Coalition, n.d.; MHSA Coalition, 2022). This coalition would be critical for any population-level depression intervention because it can align clinical work with upstream strategies related to housing, criminal justice diversion, and crisis response policy (MHSA Coalition, 2022). Community-based psychosocial and peer supports in 67203 further strengthen this system. Breakthrough Wichita provides clubhouse-model services emphasizing housing, employment, and social connection, which directly address social determinants that worsen or sustain depression (Breakthrough Wichita, n.d.). NAMI Wichita hosts family support groups at the Breakthrough Club, enhancing caregiver coping and engagement in treatment (NAMI Wichita, n.d.). For youth and families, Camber Wichita offers inpatient services for depression, anxiety, and suicidality, creating a child- and family-focused partner for early intervention (Camber Mental Health, n.d.).
Evidence shows that community-engaged mental health initiatives and collaborative care models, particularly when built on strong community partnerships, improve depressive symptoms and overall mental well-being in under-resourced settings (Chutiyami et al., 2025; The Community Guide, n.d.). Leveraging COMCARE’s CCBHC infrastructure, the MHSA Coalition’s system-level coordination, and the peer and family supports of Breakthrough and NAMI therefore offers a strong foundation for a community- and systems-level intervention to reduce the burden of depression in 67203.
References
Breakthrough Wichita. (n.d.). Breakthrough Wichita. https://www.breakthroughwichita.org/
Camber Mental Health. (n.d.). Children’s mental health hospital in Wichita. https://www.cambermentalhealth.org/locations/wichita/
Chutiyami, M., et al. (2025). Community-engaged mental health and wellbeing initiatives in under-resourced settings: A scoping review. Journal of Mental Health. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12035253/
COMCARE. (n.d.-a). COMCARE: Sedgwick County community mental health center. Sedgwick County. https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/comcare/
COMCARE. (n.d.-b). Community Crisis Center. Sedgwick County. https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/comcare/crisis-intervention-services/
COMCARE. (n.d.-c). Community Support Services. Sedgwick County. https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/comcare/community-support-services/
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Coalition. (2022). 2022 policy priorities. https://www.sedgwickcounty.org/media/61001/2022-mental-health-substance-abuse-coalition-policy-priorities.pdf
Mental Health & Substance Abuse Coalition. (n.d.). About. https://mhsacoalition.org/about/
NAMI Wichita. (n.d.). NAMI Wichita family support group. NAMI Kansas. https://namikansas.org/about-nami-kansas/nami-kansas-affiliates/nami-wichita/
The Community Guide. (n.d.). Mental health and mental illness: Collaborative care for the management of depressive disorders. https://www.thecommunityguide.org/findings/mental-health-and-mental-illness-collaborative-care-management-depressive-disorders.html