Frequently Asked Questions
Copyright 2009 Pennyroyal Mental Health, Mental Retardation Board, Inc.
This is one of the
most common misperceptions about Pennyroyal Center. We are not a state agency.
Pennyroyal Center was established in 1967 as a result of legislation that
established a network of Community Mental Health Centers across the state
of Kentucky. These center's are private not-for-profit organizations. The
Pennyroyal Center is run by a Board of Directors and administered by our
Executive Director David Ptaszek.
Pennyroyal Center
has been a part of Southwestern Kentucky since 1967 but we realize there
are a number of misperceptions about the Center.
Is Pennyroyal Center a state agency?
Does Pennyroyal Center only treat welfare recipients?
While Pennyroyal Center
is an approved Medicare and Medicaid service provider, our services are
open to everyone. In fact, a large portion of our income is derived from
private paying clients and private insurance carriers. In 2009 we joined the TRICARE network allowing us to extend our services to members of the military and their families.
Are
services provided by Pennyroyal Center free?
Being a not-for-profit
agency doesn't mean we are a free agency, it means that we must base the
services we offer on need, not the profit that may come from that service.
If we did not make money, we would not be in business for very long.
That is not so say
that some of our services are not free. We offer a variety of support groups
and other programs at no cost to the participants.
Pennyroyal Center
does provide a program, though, to help make our services affordable to
everyone. We offer a "sliding fee scale" which adjusts the cost
of services according to the income of our client. While it is not free,
we hope this breaks down the barrier of cost which may prevent some from
seeking mental health or substance abuse treatment or services for those
with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
