Dennis McKinney: Kansas failing to care properly for most vulnerable

For many years, most Kansans have shared a belief that we are obligated to provide a basic level of care for the most vulnerable people in our communities. We have relied on a combination of services from our nonprofits and state and local governments. Some of us believe that our most productive pursuits occur when government partners with faith-based organizations to provide services.

Most Kansans have also agreed that we must be vigilant to keep costs of social services from growing too rapidly; as much as possible we should help needy citizens regain the ability to work and the dignity that comes from meaningful work; and we should be innovative in finding better ways to provide services to those in need.

The Menninger family of Topeka for years showed us that improving mental health care did not bankrupt us. Rather, it improved our workforce, strengthened families and made Kansas a richer, better place to live.

Now consider three indicators as to how Kansas is performing:

▪  Five children died in the state’s foster care system in fiscal year 2015, including one because of maltreatment.

▪  The state hospital at Osawatomie lost its federal Medicare certification. The loss came after an extended period of deficiencies in caring for the mentally ill.

▪  Programs to treat gravely abused children in our state have been substantially reduced in funding, even those using faith-based partners. For example, the abuse treatment program at Methodist Youthville in Dodge City, which also had private funding for horse therapy and companion canine programs, has been dismantled.

This is not a debate about pouring money into rapid service growth. Rather, this is now a debate about providing funding necessary for basic, effective services to the most vulnerable citizens of Kansas.

When James Madison wrote that “justice is the end of government,” he put forth an idea that has its origin in the Holy Scriptures. Can we achieve justice while forgetting Jesus’ words, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me”?

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 6:02 PM with the headline "Dennis McKinney: Kansas failing to care properly for most vulnerable."