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NEWS
KANSAN.COM
Mental health center requests funding to block guns
▶ CHANDLER BOESE @Chandler_Boees
The Bert Nash Center, a community mental health center, has requested funding to block guns from its facilities.
When the University's campus becomes open to concealed weapons next year, several other local institutions will also have to allow guns — including Bert Nash, Douglas County's community mental health center.
Contributed Photo
Bert Nash, which is housed in the Community Health Facility on Maine Street, is funded by the city and county — meaning that it's a public building that has to allow guns beginning July 1, 2017. The only way it can ban guns from any part of the facility is if it provides adequate security measures, such as metal detectors and guards.
The center's CEO, Dave Johnson, said their staff members have serious safety concerns about concealed weapons entering the facility. Because of this, the center and the other agencies that occupy the facility are talking with the city and county about helping them fund security measures for the building.
"The building has a lot of people coming in and out everyday, we see over 300 people," Johnson said. "It's just a place where what you want to be able to offer is a safe place."
Johnson said the center's leadership decided to look into security measures after hearing the staff's concerns and speaking with other local health centers like the Douglas County Health Department.
"Overall, concealed carry increases danger when we're
dealing with people who are going through a difficult time in their lives," he said.
On Sept. 30, the agencies that occupy the same facility as Bert Nash (the health department and the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association) sent a letter to the City of Lawrence and Douglas County. They asked the city and county to consider providing security measures for the facility and to push for legislative change.
"When we consider that hundreds of Douglas County residents living with incredible stress, uncertainty and
often poor impulse control visit the Community Health Facility every day we feel action is needed," the agencies wrote in the statement.
It's just a place where what you want to be able to offer is a safe place."
Dave Johnson Bert Nash Center CEO
University psychology professor Chris Crandall said
he understands the center's concerns.
"A person carrying a weapon has to be able to rationally make a decision without emotion and irrationality," he said. "Many of the people who visit Bert Nash are not able to do that."
Crandall said the center's objection to guns in the facility is probably not about the concept of concealed carry itself, but rather based on what they know about and have seen with mental health patients.
"Democracy is not threatened by not allowing guns
in mental health facilities," Crandall said.
But adding security measures will not be an easy task for the facility, Johnson said, due to its multiple entrances.
Barbara Ballard, one of Lawrence's representatives in the Kansas House, said last month that she hopes to present bills in the legislature session that would accomplish just that. Her first priority will be to get an exemption for higher education institutions, and her second would be to exempt community mental health centers.
Ballard said she has higher hopes for her bills after the primary, given some moderate Republicans who won over more extreme conservatives.
Ideally, Johnson would like the law allowing weapons in public buildings to be completely repealed, or at least mental health centers exempted from it.
"Perhaps with a different legislature, they'll repeal the bill for universities and community mental health centers," he said.
- Edited by Missy Minear
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