| KOSE Press Release |
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State Employees Respond to the Safekeeping of KNI and PSH for Future Generations: Governor Rejects Facilities Closure Report State employees and KOSE members applaud Governor Mark Parkinson for making the right decision to save the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI) soon after its 50th anniversary. The Governor also rejected the Facilities Closure report to downsize Parsons State Hospital as well. This will preserve the homes of more than 150 residents and protect the jobs of more than 500 workers. State employees and members of KOSE made hundreds of phone calls to the Statehouse and the Governor’s Office in support of KNI and PSH and the vital service they provide not only to the mental health and special needs communities of Kansas, but to the state economy as well. According to a study commissioned last September by the Topeka Chamber of Commerce, KNI not only provides 500 jobs at the hospital itself but supports more than 1300 jobs in the area. The study also found that KNI generates $8,159,976 in tax revenue for the State of Kansas and City of Topeka. Today the communities of Kansas can give a sigh of relief in knowing that the residents of KNI and PSH will continue receiving their treatment, workers will continue providing care, and the Kansas economy won’t suffer any further hardship during these tough economic times. This decision is a testament to all the hard work state employees and KOSE members accomplished by contacting their legislators and the governor on behalf KNI and PSH in the past few months. We dodged a bullet for now, but the decision does leave the possibility for future closures. Shutting the doors of these and other state institutions is unacceptable. We will continue fighting on behalf of our vital institutions. ### |