Rob Siedlecki oversees the Larned State Hospital as secretary of SRS. During the past year, SRS replaced LSH Superintendent Robert Connell and  Osawatomie State Hospital Superintendent Greg Valentine, who also managed the state’s Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City.
The Larned State Hospital director of nursing and a part-time chaplain were also told their services were no longer needed. Other longtime employees have decided to leave the hospital complex.
SRS has also announced plans to downsize the number of SRS offices as a cost-cutting measure.
SRS has outlined more than $44 million in budget reductions.
• Consolidate the six administrative regions to four.
• Lay off or accept the retirements of several other agency officials.
• Cut all contracts and grants by 3 percent.
• Eliminate all funding for the Kansas Consumer Advisory Council for Adult Mental Health.
• Eliminate approximately $1 million for several other grants and contracts for mental health services.
• The Kansas Neurological Institute, a state hospital for the severely developmentally disabled, has also been targeted.
• Create a division for promoting faith-based and community initiatives.
• Reduce the number of beds at Rainbow Mental Health Facility in Kansas City.