Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Bellewood & Brooklawn intending to merge with Centerstone Kentucky?
A merger is a strategic alliance that would allow us to provide more resources to the children and families of Kentucky. The intent is that Bellewood & Brooklawn and Centerstone can now benefit from each other’s strengths to provide a longer, more efficient continuum of care. We each bring complementary services and expertise together that will now be able to benefit more children and families across the state.
Who made the decision that Bellewood & Brooklawn should merge with Centerstone Kentucky?
This decision comes from months of discussions with Executives and Board Members from both organizations.
Who is Centerstone Kentucky?
Centerstone is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit providers of community-based behavioral health care, offering a full range of mental health services, substance abuse treatment and intellectual and developmental disabilities services in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee.
What is a merger?
A merger means Bellewood & Brooklawn and Centerstone are intending to coming together to form one company. It is NOT a “takeover” or “buyout” of one company over the other, but rather a mutual partnership between the two. Currently, there is very little duplication of services between Bellewood & Brooklawn and Centerstone. Each agency currently has individual strengths that will enhance where the other currently falls short.
What is a continuum of care and how does this benefit our long term goals?
A continuum of care is able to provide services to youth and their families across all locations – residential, in-home, and outpatient. When an agency is able to increase its continuum of care, everybody wins. Kids and their families are able to receive better, more consistent treatment. The agency is able to negotiate more favorable rates with insurance companies. The staff have available different kinds of jobs allowing more movement within the agency.
How will Bellewood & Brooklawn change?
Our day-to-day mission will not change. We are still focused on restoring hope, instilling confidence, furthering education, and encouraging faith and spirituality through a comprehensive continuum of care for vulnerable youth and families. However, we will now have a much larger continuum of care, meaning we will have access to begin helping families much earlier and will have additional resources to support them as they move on from our existing levels of care.
How will this merger affect our mission?
In the purest form, our mission is to provide the very best services to children and families. This will not change. Very little will change in the care and services we are currently providing to children. The biggest change for a vast majority of employees will be that at some point, we will be Centerstone and not Bellewood & Brooklawn. Our PRTF and PCC units will remain exactly as they are except that the children’s stays may be shorter as we find them appropriate placement in a foster or adoptive home quicker (which is what’s best for the child). Our Community Based Services will experience the biggest change as they will have more resources at their disposal to find children appropriate placements and access to services once children leave our campus, thereby experiencing better outcomes for their department.
How will this merger affect our faith heritage?
We are committed to continuing our deep faith heritage, as well as all of the things that make the Bellewood and Brooklawn campuses so special. We are now and will continue to be committed to the hope and healing of our children.
How will Bellewood & Brooklawn families benefit from this merger?
This potential merger would create a larger more complete continuum of care. It will make it easier for youth and families to access our services all along the continuum. This will also help us to better serve kids and their families regardless of their needs.
Centerstone’s expertise happens to be in an area Bellewood & Brooklawn needs help in; how to provide intensive wrap-around services for children and families in foster homes and other family settings. While Bellewood & Brooklawn has its FPP program, TFC, and other Community Based Services, our small staff size means we sometimes have trouble meeting all the needs to help children remain successful. Not only does Centerstone already specialize in these wrap-around services they have the staffing to make this more successful. Centerstone also has services that go beyond the child and can help the entire family and the child themselves after they “age out” of our existing CBS programs. Our current CBS staff and Centerstone’s existing staff will be a great complement to each other and lead to better long-term outcomes for our children
How will our families be notified about the intent to merge with Centerstone Kentucky?
We are currently creating a plan for effective notification of clients, families, and other stakeholders. The merger process is being designed to ensure minimal impact on our clients.
Will there be a financial impact to Bellewood & Brooklawn because of this potential merger?
We anticipate that this merger will make us stronger financially. We will gain access to resources we do not currently have and allow us to negotiate more favorable rates for serving youth and their families.