Health News
- Mentally Ill In Personal-care Homes, Or At Risk Of Going There, Will Have Increased Access To Behavioral Health Care In Kentucky
The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services is extending an agreement that provides housing assistance and services to people with serious mental illness has been extended through Septemnber 2018, and is expanding it to provide increased...
- Uk, Not Questioned Mental-health Agency, Will Run Eastern State
Herald-Leader photo by Mark Mahan: Hospital nears completionThe University of Kentucky will manage the new Eastern State Hospital, replacing the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, which has operated the current facility since 1995....
- State Auditor Edelen Faults Bluegrass Mental-health Agency For Executive Compensation, Lax Management And Board Oversight
The Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, a nonprofit agency that gets two-thirds of its money from taxpayers, "paid more than $2.8 million in executive-benefit contributions since 1997 to the president/CEO and various other employees...
- Herald-leader Dislikes Mental Health Agency's 'clubby Glow'
In an editorial today, the Lexington Herald-Leader criticized the "clubby glow emanating from the inner circle" of the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, whose financial status was featured in Sunday's issue of the newspaper....
- Bluegrass Mental-health Nonprofit Flush With Cash, Despite Cuts In Public Health; Spends Big On Executive Pay And Lobbying
The new Eastern State Hospital being built in Lexington. The Bluegrass Regional MH-MR Board runs the existing facility and wants to run the new one. (Pablo Alcla, Herald-Leader)Despite deep cuts in state public-health funding, the non-profit Bluegrass...
Health News
Federal supervision of Oakwood mental-health facility ends
The federal supervision of Oakwood, the long-beleaguered Somerset facility for the mentally disabled, is no longer necessary and will end, officials announced yesterday.
The move means the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services and the U.S. Department of Justice will lift a 2006 settlement agreement, which stemmed from a Justice Department investigation into civil rights complaints.
"The lifting of the agreement reflects the tremendous amount of progress made at Oakwood in recent years," Gov. Steve Beshear said. "This is a true credit to the combine efforts of cabinet staff and others to improve the care provided to these residents."
Oakwood has 112 residents and is the state's largest home for people with mental disabilities. The Bluegrass Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board has a contract with the state to manage and operate the facility as well as provide community-based mental health, mental retardation/development disabilities and substance abuse services. The group took over in 2006.
"We cleaned up things, we created an infrastructure, we brought sound business management policies and technology, and we appreciated the good staff we inherited while moving out those who were problematic," Bluegrass CEO Shannon Ware told Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
"We cleaned up things, we created an infrastructure, we brought sound business management policies and technology, and we appreciated the good staff we inherited while moving out those who were problematic," Bluegrass CEO Shannon Ware told Beth Musgrave of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
The settlement was lifted by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky Sept. 29. (Read more)
- Mentally Ill In Personal-care Homes, Or At Risk Of Going There, Will Have Increased Access To Behavioral Health Care In Kentucky
The state Cabinet for Health and Family Services is extending an agreement that provides housing assistance and services to people with serious mental illness has been extended through Septemnber 2018, and is expanding it to provide increased...
- Uk, Not Questioned Mental-health Agency, Will Run Eastern State
Herald-Leader photo by Mark Mahan: Hospital nears completionThe University of Kentucky will manage the new Eastern State Hospital, replacing the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, which has operated the current facility since 1995....
- State Auditor Edelen Faults Bluegrass Mental-health Agency For Executive Compensation, Lax Management And Board Oversight
The Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, a nonprofit agency that gets two-thirds of its money from taxpayers, "paid more than $2.8 million in executive-benefit contributions since 1997 to the president/CEO and various other employees...
- Herald-leader Dislikes Mental Health Agency's 'clubby Glow'
In an editorial today, the Lexington Herald-Leader criticized the "clubby glow emanating from the inner circle" of the Bluegrass Regional Mental Health-Mental Retardation Board, whose financial status was featured in Sunday's issue of the newspaper....
- Bluegrass Mental-health Nonprofit Flush With Cash, Despite Cuts In Public Health; Spends Big On Executive Pay And Lobbying
The new Eastern State Hospital being built in Lexington. The Bluegrass Regional MH-MR Board runs the existing facility and wants to run the new one. (Pablo Alcla, Herald-Leader)Despite deep cuts in state public-health funding, the non-profit Bluegrass...