Overcrowding that has forced state mental hospitals to stop taking voluntary admissions is a dangerous situation for Kansas.

The hospitals are required by law to accept individuals who have been ordered by the courts to receive treatment. However, state budget cuts have left the hospitals understaffed and overflowing. Members of a legislative committee were told Thursday that three hospitals were over capacity at least one-third of the time in the past year. The Larned State Hospital exceeded its capacity for 302 days.

Under such conditions, the hospitals have little choice but to do something to control their patient load. Because they can’t refuse court-ordered admissions, reducing voluntary admissions is the only choice. But what happens to those people? If they are fortunate, they may be able to find services at a community mental health center or hospital psychiatric unit. If not, they may find themselves on a waiting list during a time when they are at significantly increased risk of harming themselves or perhaps others.

Although the legislative committee acknowledged that there is no quick fix to the state budget or the hospital situation, Senate Vice President John Vratil hit the nail on the head when he said, “We’ve got to readjust our priorities to give the mental health system some relief. We can’t allow this to continue and turn a blind eye.”

Over the years, considerable progress has been made in bringing mental health care out of the shadows and making it more acceptable for people to seek help. The state needs to re-examine its priorities and provide the basic assistance these Kansans need.