Des Moines, Iowa — Diedre DeJear, the Democratic candidate for governor, says some of the state’s surplus should be directed to improve the state’s mental health care system and other priorities.
DeJear made her comments during a speech at The Des Moines Register’s Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair.
DeJear told the crowd she recently spoke with a man who was trying to get mental health services for his son, but the only in-patient treatment available in Iowa was a six hour drive away and the first available appointment with a psychiatrist was in two months.
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds signed a bill in 2019 that created the framework for a children’s mental health care system. DeJear says under her opponent’s leadership, Iowa has made little progress.
DeJear asked her question of the crowd listening to her speech at the State Fair. Iowa Republican Party spokesman Kollin Crompton says DeJear is a radical Democrat who has spent her time tweeting, while Governor Reynolds has been meeting with thousands of Iowans every day at the Iowa State Fair.
