The United Way of the Bluegrass is taking over a designation previously held by the embattled Bluegrass Area Development District.
The state stripped the Bluegrass ADD of its designation as an area agency on aging last week after ADD staff reportedly denied state officials access to computer records – a decision the agency plans to appeal. But the Cabinet for Health and Family Services' Department of Aging and Independent Living has already found a new organization to act as the district’s Aging and Disability Resource Center: the United Way of the Bluegrass.
"I'm sure the decision to move the ARDC from the Bluegrass Area Development District to UWBG was not an easy decision for the commissioner and her staff," United Way of the Bluegrass President Bill Farmer said Monday. "However, the list of benefits to this partnership are unending."
The state will pass the reins to the group’s 2-1-1 call center on July 1, with the contract lasting one year. Residents seeking information about independent living, healthy services, housing, affordable child care, and support groups will be routed through the center. During the transition, seniors and those with disabilities who have received services through the Bluegrass ADD can also direct questions to 2-1-1 or text their zip code to 8-9-8-2-1-1.
Deborah Anderson, commissioner for the Department of Aging and Independent Living, said the transition to the United Way will add “stability and accountability” to the aging services in the district’s 17-county region.
The head of the Bluegrass ADD has said the state’s action caught the agency by surprise. Executive director David Duttlinger said there were questions as to whether his staff had the authority to hand over patient records to state officials. Last week, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported the group's board also voted to continue paying its 40 employees who work in aging and independent living programs through July.
Bluegrass has been on the hot seat since a 2014 audit aired concerns about improper spending and mismanagement. The agency has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday. In a press release, spokesperson Chip Clark writes, "The Bluegrass Area Development District is determined to restore order to the unnecessary chaos that has been created by pinning and misconceptions about the good work provided for citizens of our region."
