A former medical clinic in downtown Gardner may become a full service mental health center, pending its purchase by Johnson County government.
County commissioners approved a plan to buy the 9,900-square-foot building at 18320 South Center Street earlier this month, with the intent to staff it to provide therapy and community based services in an area where the population is growing and transportation options to the mental health department’s other satellites in Olathe, Shawnee and Mission are limited.
County officials have been searching for clinic space in the southern part of the county since 2020 but had not found any properties appropriate for outpatient care until they found the former Gardner Family Care building, said Tanner Fortney, assistant mental health director.
The building had been occupied by the nonprofit Olathe Health Physicians Inc., which became part of the KU Health System in 2023 and moved to a different location.
Fortney told commissioners the need for an office farther south has been growing along with the population in that part of the county. In 2019, mental health services saw 742 clients who live in southern county zip codes, but by the past 12 months, that number had increased to 903, he said.
At the same time, clients have cited a lack of transportation as a big reason they have missed appointments to see clinicians or get prescriptions in the other offices, he said. The distance also has been a problem for school-age clients because the trip to another office for their appointment takes a chunk out of their school day, making it hard for them to keep up, he added.
The former health clinic makes an ideal spot because it will not need as much interior work as a building that had a different use, he said.
In the works for the building’s future
The county mental health center plans to staff the building for adult and pediatric services as well as medication services and a nurse clinic. Next year, mental health officials plan to add staff for a chronic care clinic, he said.
According to plans presented at the commission meeting, once improvements are made, the mental health center plans the following:
- Six exam rooms,
- Offices for 16 clinicians,
- Three consultation rooms,
- Waiting area,
- Reception, and
- On-site parking.
The building was most recently appraised at $1,398,000, according to county land records. The commission approved a purchase price of $2.8 million from Frontier Investments, which owns it now. Other improvements of about $1.7 million to the space bring the total cost to $4.5 million.
Under the arrangement, the county will use its general fund reserves as an advance for the purchase price of and improvements to the building, with that money to be paid back in 2027 after bonds are issued. The Johnson County Mental Health Center would then use its revenue from treatment reimbursement to pay down the debt on the bonds through annual lease payments to the county of $437,233.
Fortney said the mental health center’s designation as a certified community behavioral health clinic allows it to capture a higher Medicaid reimbursement rate that covers such costs as support staff and custodial crews, utilities and lease payments. That, in turn, would give it the necessary revenue stream to repay the debt service.
Chair Mike Kelly acknowledged the need for behavioral health care has been growing. “We have a demonstrated need for the service that we provide, especially in the southern part of the county,” he said, noting that Gardner is one of the fastest growing cities in the state.
Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand called it a “great location. It’s right on main street.” She added that she often gets complaints from constituents in the district about the need to travel to get to other county offices.
Commissioners voted twice — once on the resolution to budget for the project and later, sitting as the Public Building Commission, on the bonding aspect.
One person spoke during public comment time about the purchase. Gene Senesac of Olathe, didn’t question the need for the building but said the commission should say more about its interaction with the seller, Frontier Investments. He also noted the $2.8 million asking price is about double its most recent assessment.
Both votes were unanimous, with Kelly, Allenbrand and Commissioners Becky Fast, Jeff Meyers, Julie Brewer, Janeé Hanzlick and Michael Ashcraft voting in favor.
What’s next
The county must publish the legal notice about this item twice, and then wait 30 days before acting. After that, bonds are expected to be issued in early 2027.
