Kanza CEO meets with commissioners for update

Krista Eylar of Atchison has been named the new CEO of Kanza Mental Health & Guidance Center, and she shared updates about the organization with the Jackson County Commissioners last week.

Eylar has served as a nurse at different hospitals throughout northeast Kansas, including Holton Community Hospital, for more than 20 years. She has worked for Kanza for one year and replaces Jackie Feathers as CEO.

“Jackie shared great things about working with you guys and how supportive you guys are to Kanza and that’s always exciting to hear when your stepping into a new role,” Eylar said. “I just wanted to introduce myself and thank you for that support and share a little bit about Kanza. I’m always open to questions. Your support is so important.”

Kanza is a non-profit community mental health center that serves residents of Brown, Doniphan, Jackson and Nemaha counties. The organization provides around the clock crisis services with a licensed clinician, medication services, individual and family therapy services and community supports that provide services in the schools and homes, it was reported.

Kanza’s main office is located in Hiawatha, but the organization has an office in Holton at the former hospital building at 510 Kansas Ave.

For 2024, the county allocated $68,223 to Kanza for services. Last summer, the commissioners agreed to allocate $75,000 in county funds to the organization in 2025.

“Mental health is what we are passionate about, as well as providing those services to people who are in need,” she said. “This time of year, we see a lot of need. It’s a tough time of year for a lot of people.”

Eylar said that Kanza recently became a federal Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC).

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