Back to Top Sarah Jian Lopez Waiver expanded One year after it was initiated, the Sarah Jian Lopez Medicaid Waiver has allowed 75 children with developmental disabilities to continue living at home with their families. The waiver was expanded to serve an additional 25 children in Fiscal Year 1998. The waiver went into effect in 1996, and was named for Sara, who died at the age of five. A new program blending the resources and expertise of two DMH divisions was established in January 1997 to help meet the needs of children diagnosed with both a mental illness and a developmental disability. The project, which targets youths ages 13-18, focuses on returning the youths to their families or to a community setting.
Treatment includes family involvement and therapy.
Located on the campus of the Marshall Habilitation Center, the program pools the resources of the divisions of Comprehensive Psychiatric Services and Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. This program is the first of its kind in the state. The new facility will have 110 to 115 acute and intermediate care beds. Western Missouri Mental Health Center opened in 1966. Through its affiliation with several academic institutions, it provides training for students in psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychiatric social work, psychiatric nursing, and activity therapy.