PCS in the News
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A NEW APPROACH: Combining services into one building on PCS radarBy CHRIS MORRIS chris.morris@newsandtribune.com - Sep. 23, 2019
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CLARKSVILLE — Doug Drake has heard the gut-wrenching stories. He knows all about the increased need for mental health services due to the ongoing opioid epidemic.
And he has statistics to back up his claims.
• Nationally, 1 in 5 adults in the United States will experience a mental illness in a given year
• 26 percent of homeless adults live with serious mental illness or substance abuse disorders
• 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have at least one mental health issue [depression or addiction]
• 76 percent of Americans believe they do not have access to mental health services. Many have no insurance or can't afford the co-pay and just give up.
"There is a shortage of therapists and psychiatric practitioners. That is not just a regional issue, it is a national issue," said Drake, president and chief executive officer of Personal Counseling Services in Clarksville. "It is almost a crisis issue. There are more needs than there are providers. There are barriers to access of care and continuity of care. We are all putting Band-Aids on situations and that concerns me."
Many people suffering from mental illness also need other services, from medical and dental to child care and financial advice, but they lack transportation to reach service providers.
For four years Drake has been working on an idea that will help ease the burden of many, he hopes. His goal is to build a 40,000 square foot building, in Clark County, that will not only house mental health services, but also offer other services, including medical and dental. He said many people do not have transportation after being referred to a doctor or mental health provider, so they just give up. This idea, he said, will provide several services under one roof.
He calls it a soft handoff, where a doctor walks a patient down a hall to another provider instead of sending them across town miles away. The building will be located on a bus line to help with transportation needs.
He said he knows of a patient who went to a cardiologist because they were certain they had heart issues. The doctor did every test imaginable and found there was nothing wrong with the patient's heart. The patient was suffering from anxiety, so the doctor walked the patient down to a mental health provider who was located in the same building.
"Thankfully, he had incorporated that within his practice," Drake said.
He said there is even a food component to the plan, where homeless or unemployed people, who want to improve their lives, can learn about nutrition and about the restaurant business from a chef, to help fill the need for workers in that industry.
"Over the past four years, myself and the agency have been looking at what is working and what is not," he said. "We want to provide a multitude of services all in one location so that those soft handoffs can happen."
This is more than just an idea being discussed. Drake has already talked to local, regional and national donors and an architect is currently drawing up plans, which should be completed in a few weeks.
PCS would own the facility and lease out spots to other providers and those offering other services.
"This will make a lot of people healthier. They will have access to everything they need, just a multitude of different services," Drake said. "Our goal is to take this program, take this concept and replicate it in other states and areas."
PCS is celebrating its 60th year in Clarksville of providing mental health services to Southern Indiana residents, including pastoral counseling, family counseling and music therapy. Drake said his counselors have a full load of patients and there continues to be more need.
Once the new complex is constructed, PCS will sell its current office property on Applegate Lane and put those funds into an endowment.
Drake said the idea will come to fruition in a few years, and he is excited about the possibilities.
"It's going to happen," he said. "I never step into anything without feeling I can do it. I step out in faith because that is where I come from. That faith will allow us to do something that will save lives and also help the community. This is something that God put on my heart four years ago because the need is there. I can't wait to see it."
Chris Morris is an assistant editor at the News and Tribune. Contact him via email at chris.morris@newsandtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NAT_ChrisM.
And he has statistics to back up his claims.
• Nationally, 1 in 5 adults in the United States will experience a mental illness in a given year
• 26 percent of homeless adults live with serious mental illness or substance abuse disorders
• 70 percent of youth in the juvenile justice system have at least one mental health issue [depression or addiction]
• 76 percent of Americans believe they do not have access to mental health services. Many have no insurance or can't afford the co-pay and just give up.
"There is a shortage of therapists and psychiatric practitioners. That is not just a regional issue, it is a national issue," said Drake, president and chief executive officer of Personal Counseling Services in Clarksville. "It is almost a crisis issue. There are more needs than there are providers. There are barriers to access of care and continuity of care. We are all putting Band-Aids on situations and that concerns me."
Many people suffering from mental illness also need other services, from medical and dental to child care and financial advice, but they lack transportation to reach service providers.
For four years Drake has been working on an idea that will help ease the burden of many, he hopes. His goal is to build a 40,000 square foot building, in Clark County, that will not only house mental health services, but also offer other services, including medical and dental. He said many people do not have transportation after being referred to a doctor or mental health provider, so they just give up. This idea, he said, will provide several services under one roof.
He calls it a soft handoff, where a doctor walks a patient down a hall to another provider instead of sending them across town miles away. The building will be located on a bus line to help with transportation needs.
He said he knows of a patient who went to a cardiologist because they were certain they had heart issues. The doctor did every test imaginable and found there was nothing wrong with the patient's heart. The patient was suffering from anxiety, so the doctor walked the patient down to a mental health provider who was located in the same building.
"Thankfully, he had incorporated that within his practice," Drake said.
He said there is even a food component to the plan, where homeless or unemployed people, who want to improve their lives, can learn about nutrition and about the restaurant business from a chef, to help fill the need for workers in that industry.
"Over the past four years, myself and the agency have been looking at what is working and what is not," he said. "We want to provide a multitude of services all in one location so that those soft handoffs can happen."
This is more than just an idea being discussed. Drake has already talked to local, regional and national donors and an architect is currently drawing up plans, which should be completed in a few weeks.
PCS would own the facility and lease out spots to other providers and those offering other services.
"This will make a lot of people healthier. They will have access to everything they need, just a multitude of different services," Drake said. "Our goal is to take this program, take this concept and replicate it in other states and areas."
PCS is celebrating its 60th year in Clarksville of providing mental health services to Southern Indiana residents, including pastoral counseling, family counseling and music therapy. Drake said his counselors have a full load of patients and there continues to be more need.
Once the new complex is constructed, PCS will sell its current office property on Applegate Lane and put those funds into an endowment.
Drake said the idea will come to fruition in a few years, and he is excited about the possibilities.
"It's going to happen," he said. "I never step into anything without feeling I can do it. I step out in faith because that is where I come from. That faith will allow us to do something that will save lives and also help the community. This is something that God put on my heart four years ago because the need is there. I can't wait to see it."
Chris Morris is an assistant editor at the News and Tribune. Contact him via email at chris.morris@newsandtribune.com. Follow him on Twitter: @NAT_ChrisM.
Duke Energy requests 17 percent rate increase for Indiana customers By BROOKE MCAFEE brooke.mcafee@newsandtribune.com - Oct. 1, 2019
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NEW ALBANY — If a proposal is approved by the state, Duke Energy's Indiana customers would see a significant rate increases over the next couple years.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) presented a public field hearing Tuesday at the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation's administrative building to gather public input on Duke Energy's pending request to increase rates starting next year. The energy company requested an overall rate increase of 17 percent for all customer groups to cover increases in operating and maintenance costs, as well as capital improvements.
At the meeting, a number of people voiced their thoughts and concerns about the proposed rate increase, including Southern Indiana residents and others from around the state. No decision was made at Tuesday's meeting, but the IURC commissioners will consider the public input as it reviews Duke Energy's request, and the agency will continue gathering consumer comments until Oct. 23. The IURC will make a decision in 2020.
The Duke Energy request would raise the rates in two phases. Increases of 15 percent would go into effect after the IURC’s order is issued in 2020, and another 2 percent increase would go into effect in April 2021.
The rate increase would raise a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) monthly residential electrical bill from $120.30 to $142.59 when fully implemented. The rate increase would raise Duke Energy’s annual operating revenues by $393 million, or an increase of about 15.4 percent.
According to Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere, the company's proposal to raise rates will help the company cover infrastructure investments to address a growing customer base, help the company transition to cleaner power and replace, upgrade equipment to reduce power outages and install smart meters for customers.
The largest part of the increase will go toward new miles of new power lines and substations, she said. The rate increase would help support parts of its 2018-2037 Integrated Resource Plan to transition to cleaner energy. Although about 90 percent of the power Duke Energy produced in 2018 came from coal, it is preparing for the "likelihood of future climate regulations," and it is speeding up retirement dates of a number of Indiana coal-powered units.
Many expressed opposition to Duke Energy's request for several reasons, including worries about the potential financial effects on residents. A number of people also voiced their concerns that the company's proposals for transitioning to cleaner power would not be effective enough in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the issue of climate change.
Ronna Papesh, who has been a customer of Duke Energy since 1998, urged the IURC to deny Duke Energy's request. She uses solar energy, and she claimed she has recently faced charges from Duke Energy for electricity she did not use. She also expressed worries about how the increase would affect Indiana residents such as her mother, who is on a fixed income and cares for two sons with disabilities.
"She's not a wasteful person and has implemented as many energy conservation measures as she can afford, and still, my mother's electric bill is a full 10 percent of her yearly income, and that does not include the cost for heating — she uses natural gas," she said. "According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average consumer energy expenditures today are 5.5 percent of income — my mother's electricity costs alone are almost double the national average for all energy consumption. She truly cannot afford even one penny more for electricity."
Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy's energy operations, said "it's not lost on us" that the rate increase will affect low income customers.
"We do a lot in that space, actually," he said. "You didn't hear a lot about that tonight, but we have billing opportunities, we have budget billing where we can put our customers on a budget program to help spread out the payments of the bills over the course of a year so you don't have spikes in the summer and winter. It has proved to be an effective tool for our customers. We have programs in the winter in particular where we are assisting our customers through donations that either our customers have made or we have made corporately to folks like you heard tonight."
Batesville resident Michael Cambron expressed disapproval of the proposed rate increase. He said he doesn't see Duke Energy's approach to transitioning to clean power as sufficient to address climate change, and he would like to see greater transparency from the company.
"I noticed that Duke Energy did consider scenarios that relied more on renewable energies, particularly wind, solar and battery storage," he said. "They claim these technologies are more expensive, but I can't find in their somewhat redacted report really how much more expensive they are than they recommended, and I think as citizens in Indiana and as customers of Duke Energy, we have a right to understand those cost differences to weigh in our own minds, do we think if makes more sense to pay maybe a few more cents more to move more aggressively to the rapid decarbonization plan."
Pinegar said he views the potential rate change as the beginning of its transition to cleaner energy, but "it's not going to happen overnight."
"Over time, we feel like it's a reasonable transition and the most cost-effective approach for our customers," he said. "We can't switch to renewables overnight — we can't do it. We understand over time that we can diversify our portfolio adding renewables as well as natural gas, and that's our goal."
Doug Drake, a New Albany resident and the president and CEO of Personal Counseling Services, discussed his approval of Duke Energy's plan. He said while he doesn't want to pay more money, he wants "the service we deserve to get," including infrastructure improvements.
"Customer service is extremely important to me, and they have the best customer service I've ever seen," he said. "They respond when electric's out very quickly, they give us updates and texts. I've never worked with an organization or company that's as customer friendly as Duke Energy, and as a resident paying taxes, I would be proud to pay, because I know that our infrastructure needs to be improved, and if it isn't improved, we might wake up one morning and not have electricity."
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission (IURC) presented a public field hearing Tuesday at the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation's administrative building to gather public input on Duke Energy's pending request to increase rates starting next year. The energy company requested an overall rate increase of 17 percent for all customer groups to cover increases in operating and maintenance costs, as well as capital improvements.
At the meeting, a number of people voiced their thoughts and concerns about the proposed rate increase, including Southern Indiana residents and others from around the state. No decision was made at Tuesday's meeting, but the IURC commissioners will consider the public input as it reviews Duke Energy's request, and the agency will continue gathering consumer comments until Oct. 23. The IURC will make a decision in 2020.
The Duke Energy request would raise the rates in two phases. Increases of 15 percent would go into effect after the IURC’s order is issued in 2020, and another 2 percent increase would go into effect in April 2021.
The rate increase would raise a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) monthly residential electrical bill from $120.30 to $142.59 when fully implemented. The rate increase would raise Duke Energy’s annual operating revenues by $393 million, or an increase of about 15.4 percent.
According to Duke Energy spokeswoman Angeline Protogere, the company's proposal to raise rates will help the company cover infrastructure investments to address a growing customer base, help the company transition to cleaner power and replace, upgrade equipment to reduce power outages and install smart meters for customers.
The largest part of the increase will go toward new miles of new power lines and substations, she said. The rate increase would help support parts of its 2018-2037 Integrated Resource Plan to transition to cleaner energy. Although about 90 percent of the power Duke Energy produced in 2018 came from coal, it is preparing for the "likelihood of future climate regulations," and it is speeding up retirement dates of a number of Indiana coal-powered units.
Many expressed opposition to Duke Energy's request for several reasons, including worries about the potential financial effects on residents. A number of people also voiced their concerns that the company's proposals for transitioning to cleaner power would not be effective enough in reducing carbon emissions and addressing the issue of climate change.
Ronna Papesh, who has been a customer of Duke Energy since 1998, urged the IURC to deny Duke Energy's request. She uses solar energy, and she claimed she has recently faced charges from Duke Energy for electricity she did not use. She also expressed worries about how the increase would affect Indiana residents such as her mother, who is on a fixed income and cares for two sons with disabilities.
"She's not a wasteful person and has implemented as many energy conservation measures as she can afford, and still, my mother's electric bill is a full 10 percent of her yearly income, and that does not include the cost for heating — she uses natural gas," she said. "According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average consumer energy expenditures today are 5.5 percent of income — my mother's electricity costs alone are almost double the national average for all energy consumption. She truly cannot afford even one penny more for electricity."
Stan Pinegar, president of Duke Energy's energy operations, said "it's not lost on us" that the rate increase will affect low income customers.
"We do a lot in that space, actually," he said. "You didn't hear a lot about that tonight, but we have billing opportunities, we have budget billing where we can put our customers on a budget program to help spread out the payments of the bills over the course of a year so you don't have spikes in the summer and winter. It has proved to be an effective tool for our customers. We have programs in the winter in particular where we are assisting our customers through donations that either our customers have made or we have made corporately to folks like you heard tonight."
Batesville resident Michael Cambron expressed disapproval of the proposed rate increase. He said he doesn't see Duke Energy's approach to transitioning to clean power as sufficient to address climate change, and he would like to see greater transparency from the company.
"I noticed that Duke Energy did consider scenarios that relied more on renewable energies, particularly wind, solar and battery storage," he said. "They claim these technologies are more expensive, but I can't find in their somewhat redacted report really how much more expensive they are than they recommended, and I think as citizens in Indiana and as customers of Duke Energy, we have a right to understand those cost differences to weigh in our own minds, do we think if makes more sense to pay maybe a few more cents more to move more aggressively to the rapid decarbonization plan."
Pinegar said he views the potential rate change as the beginning of its transition to cleaner energy, but "it's not going to happen overnight."
"Over time, we feel like it's a reasonable transition and the most cost-effective approach for our customers," he said. "We can't switch to renewables overnight — we can't do it. We understand over time that we can diversify our portfolio adding renewables as well as natural gas, and that's our goal."
Doug Drake, a New Albany resident and the president and CEO of Personal Counseling Services, discussed his approval of Duke Energy's plan. He said while he doesn't want to pay more money, he wants "the service we deserve to get," including infrastructure improvements.
"Customer service is extremely important to me, and they have the best customer service I've ever seen," he said. "They respond when electric's out very quickly, they give us updates and texts. I've never worked with an organization or company that's as customer friendly as Duke Energy, and as a resident paying taxes, I would be proud to pay, because I know that our infrastructure needs to be improved, and if it isn't improved, we might wake up one morning and not have electricity."
