Pawnee Mental Health Served 2,526 In County

 

"Pawnee Mental Health Services continued to provide an extraordinary array of services throughout the ten-county area it serves," said Everett "Jake" Jacobs, Executive Director, in releasing the agency’s 2000 Annual Report, which was made public last week. "As indicated in the report, the number of people served and the number of direct service hours increased dramatically. As we move into the new millennium, we foresee the need for more and improved services in a number of areas, and we will be working diligently to meet those needs." Highlights of the year included dedication of a new, 14,602 square-foot building in Concordia, the culmination of ten years of planning, and recognition by the state of Kansas of the agency’s Supported Employment Program in Manhattan, which had the highest placement rate at the lowest cost for the second year in a row.

In 2000, Pawnee provided mental health and substance abuse treatment to 7,905 individual clients. The actual number of individuals receiving assessment and treatment at Pawnee locations was over 8,400 when those receiving services through Employee Assistance Programs, Job Corps, and Family Connections are included.

During the year, Pawnee provided assistance to 2,526 adults and children living in Riley County. Of these, 2,139 received individual counseling, family counseling, or alcohol and drug counseling primarily at Pawnee’s Manhattan office at 2001 Claflin Road, Jacobs said. An additional 193 Riley County residents received treatment at Pawnee’s Community Support Program, and 194 at the inpatient unit at Mercy Health Center, both in Manhattan. The data for Riley County were released along with the annual report.

Depression and other mood disorders at 32 percent was the most frequent diagnosis for individuals from Riley County. This was followed by adjustment disorder, 20 percent, and alcohol and drug abuse at 15 percent. Other problems for which residents were treated included anxiety and phobias, personality disorders, childhood disorders, schizophrenia, and other disorders.

Fifty-two percent of county residents served were female, and 48 percent were male. Seventy percent of clients were adults ages 19—54; 17 percent, age 18 and under; and 13 percent, 55 and over.

Clinical staff providing treatment at Pawnee in Manhattan include licensed psychologists, clinical social workers, case managers, nurses, and physicians specializing in psychiatry. For information or to make an appointment, call 587-4300.

Pawnee also offers intensive outpatient support in for Riley County residents with symptoms of severe and persistent mental illness. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day by calling the office in Manhattan.

About 7 percent of the center’s total revenue is contributed by counties to help cover the cost of services to those who lack the means to pay for care, said Jacobs. Members of Pawnee’s board of directors are appointed by the county commissioners of each of the ten participating counties: Clay, Cloud, Geary, Jewell, Marshall, Mitchell, Pottawatomie, Republic, Riley, and Washington Counties. Board members representing Riley County are Cecil Eyestone, Suzanne Capocasale, and Paul Nelosn, alternate.

Pawnee’s largest source of income remains client fees, including public and private insurance payments, according to the published annual report. Over one quarter of the agency’s revenue comes from state grants and contracts primarily earmarked for services to severely and persistently mentally ill adults or seriously emotionally disturbed youth, with the aim of avoiding hospitalization.

Pawnee Mental Health Services is a private, not-for-profit corporation and one of 29 facilities licensed by the State of Kansas as a community mental health center.