During the last several legislative sessions concern was raised regarding increased state mental health hospital admissions resulting, in some cases, chronic over census. The expressed concerns centered on whether or not Kansas has enough inpatient mental health treatment beds.

The 2006 Legislative Budget Committee recommended the following:

SRS and mental health stakeholders shall work together to define what the future role of the State Mental Health Hospitals (SMHH) is going to be; to determine what the appropriate number of inpatient beds that is necessary to meet the needs of the citizens of Kansas based on the State's current population and respective population growth projections (either SMHH beds or a combination of SMHH beds and local acute care inpatient resources); and to propose a plan as part of the agency's budget hearings in 2007 to the Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees that would support the needs identified in the plan.

SRS reported to the 2007 legislative budget committees that, among other things, SRS was forming the Core Team to study and develop recommendations for the entire mental health service system that would include addressing these concerns. The legislative budget committees voiced support for this approach. The first meeting of the Core Team was held May 7, 2007.