Debbie Wachter Morris
New Castle News
NEW CASTLE —
The Lawrence County commissioners could always count on thorough explanations when John Klenotic went to them with proposed contracts.
Klenotic retired last week after a quarter-century as administrator of the county mental health/mental retardation program.
He turned 65 Aug. 7 and decided “there’s no better time than the present time” to retire.
“It’s hard to imagine being without him,” Commissioner Steve Craig said.
“John Klenotic is like an encyclopedia of knowledge. He knew all of the people, he knew all the agencies in town and it’s hard to compress all that into someone else who can manage the agency.
“He was extremely competent and well thought of across the state,” Craig continued. “That’s part of the reason we haven’t rushed in to find the next John Klenotic.”
Klenotic started as an administrative officer for the program in 1971.
He left for about six months to work for Allied Human Services, but when mental health/mental retardation director Ed Keppler retired, Klenotic applied for the job. He became director on July 1, 1985.
He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Youngstown State University but noted, “I had an excellent team of people.” He oversaw a staff of about eight.
The agency was born when the state Legislature enacted the Mental Health/Mental Retardation Act of 1966, Klenotic explained. That requires counties to administer programs for their residents. Lawrence County has contracts with non-profit agencies to provide services.
Klenotic’s job was to administer the services, which are overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare. He also was responsible for developing the annual plan required by the state, which largely funds the programs.
“Things are always changing,” Klenotic said, noting the county agency will be required to add a new service within the next few weeks — psychiatric rehabilitation.
“Ongoing changes and initiatives come from the state,” he said, “and it’s very important to stay on top of these things successfully and effectively to the state’s satisfaction.”
Klenotic noted the program has become much more complex over the years.
In 1999, an additional task was added — administering a new federally funded program called HealthChoices. It involves medical assistance funds the state matches.
“That was a huge task.”
Health Choices is one of Pennsylvania’s mandatory managed care programs for medical assistance recipients. Participants receive medical care and access to appropriate mental health and/or drug and alcohol services.
As a result, Klenotic was overseeing more than $37 million during the past year — a $22 million Health Choices budget, a $6 million mental health budget and $9 million in mental retardation funds.
When he started, he had a $9 million budget, with $4 million for mental health and $5 million for mental retardation.
Another of Klenotic’s major challenges came a few years ago when Pennsylvania closed Mayview, a state mental hospital. Five counties it served had to develop alternative services for the Mayview residents without hospitalizing them. Lawrence County had eight beds at Mayview.
“This was a major, major change,” Klenotic noted.
The local agency developed a long-term residential program for people with serious mental illness, working through the Human Services Center, Klenotic explained.
Residents are housed at Edgewood in Pulaski, typically staying one to six months.
Klenotic also had worked closely with Sandy Hause to develop Patches Place on Highland Avenue. Hause is the director of the recovery-oriented support center.
Klenotic and his wife, Irene, live in Taylor Township. They have a son, Matthew, 23, in Mechanicsburg.
He said he plans to spend time with family and friends, travel, pursue hobbies “and enjoy as many amenities of life that I can.”
