By KANSAS HEALTH INSTITUTE

HAYS — Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer is scheduled to be the keynote speaker Saturday during a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the High Plains Mental Health Center in Hays.

High Plains is a community mental health center that serves 20 northwest Kansas counties.

Colyer’s speech is planned for 6 p.m. at the Fort Hays State University Memorial Union, 600 Park St.

“Gov. Brownback and I are committed to strengthening and expanding access to timely, quality mental health services. High Plains has pioneered a number of initiatives that we would like to see repeated across the state as part of our effort to improve outcomes for all Kansans who need those services,” Colyer said in a prepared statement announcing his upcoming speech.

Colyer was raised in Hays, where his father was a dentist. He graduated from Thomas More Prep School, a Catholic high school there, in 1978.