TOPEKA – Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Secretary Rob Siedlecki said today that patients currently being cared for in the Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City will be transferred temporarily to Osawatomie State Hospital beginning Wednesday, November 9 while extensive renovation work is done on the Rainbow building.
“In light of a report by the Kansas State Fire Marshal about the condition of the building at Rainbow, in the interests of patient safety, we are moving these individuals to Osawatomie temporarily for the duration of the construction work. We are not closing Rainbow, but we are committed to bringing it up to code.”
“After meeting with stakeholders, law enforcement officials and members of the state Legislature, we have determined a way forward that answers everyone’s concerns, and puts the wellbeing of our patients first,” the Secretary added.
In 2008, the governor’s Mental Health Planning Council requested that a study be made of building safety problems at Rainbow, but the previous administration decided to not have that study performed. Prior to the fire marshal’s inspection in September, SRS had begun a comprehensive assessment of the building’s shortcomings.
The fire marshal’s inspection report resulted in a number of citations related to building safety. The report was delivered to SRS on September 27. Because the structural changes that are required to bring the building up to code could not be addressed immediately, SRS requested a waiver for each citation and made plans to relocate the patients temporarily.
During the renovations, SRS will maintain eight open beds at Rainbow and about 20 percent of the staff will remain to deal with emergency patient evaluations in the Kansas City area. Once assessed, those patients who are admitted for care will be transferred to Osawatomie State Hospital until the Rainbow facility is ready to be permanently re-occupied.
Approximately 30 current Rainbow patients will be transferred beginning November 9, and a majority of staff will move with them to Osawatomie, where there is a vacant 30-bed building. That building has not been in use because funding to staff it was never appropriated. Rainbow staff will be provided with shuttle transportation and later a transportation allowance for their temporary daily commute from Rainbow to Osawatomie.
In the interim, regular fire drills are being conducted at Rainbow, and other safety measures have been undertaken. The staff is conducting modified fire watches to ensure all patient living areas as well as other spaces are safely maintained. The facility’s Safety Compliance Officer is providing collective and individual training to staff members on evacuation techniques. There is a Kansas City Fire Department fire station directly across the street from the facility. The KC Fire Department has been informed of the facility’s non-compliance with building codes and has indicated it is ready to respond as needed.
Major requirements for completion of the Plan of Correction at the 36-bed facility include the installation of a sprinkler system, the installation of smoke-barrier walls, duct/plenum cleaning, installation of fire dampers in every fresh air return duct and HVAC system replacement at an estimated cost of approximately $500,000. SRS estimates it will take six to eight months for the construction work to be completed.
Rainbow Mental Health Facility was built in 1973 by the Art Penner Construction Company of Kansas City.