Governor Laura Kelly announced today that the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has reached a contract agreement with KVC Hospitals (KVC) to open a modern acute psychiatric hospital in Hays to meet the needs of youth in western Kansas. The contract, effective July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2027, specifies admissions will begin in 2023 at a licensed 14-bed treatment center for youth up to 18 years to include up to 10 no-eject no-reject State Institutional Alternative (SIA) beds focused on patients from the Larned State Hospital (LSH) catchment area.