Northwest Iowa — One of the things that this year’s Iowa legislature decided to change is the funding source for mental health services, and we wondered how that would affect mental health services in our area.
Shane Walter is the CEO of the Sioux Rivers Mental Health Region. He says that the main thing is that the funding for their services will come from state taxes instead of county tax levies.
He says they need to work on using their fund balances over the next few years. Walter tells us it’s going to be a large change.
Walter says it’s not like the state will be taking over running the programs, it’s just where the money is coming from. He says the control will stay local, and he’s going to stay in his role as CEO, and staffing will stay the same. He says people should expect business as usual for the foreseeable future.
