Statewide Iowa (RI) — A legislative panel is examining how to expand access to Iowans who need intensive, recovery-oriented mental health services outside of a hospital setting.
Representative Gary Mohr of Bettendorf is chairman of the temporary committee, which met yesterday.
Mohr and other lawmakers heard testimony about the lack of “subacute” mental health care services, learning there are only 30 slots available in Iowa today for adults who need those services after hospitalization for a mental health crisis.
Mary Neubauer of Clive told lawmakers her adopted son Sergei was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD after abuse he suffered as a child in Russia. Neubauer says after Sergei attempted suicide and was hospitalized a decade ago, she and her husband found the kind of programs he needed next in Arizona and California because there were none in Iowa. After Sergei committed suicide in 2017, Neubauer has been an advocate for action in Iowa.
Neubauer says there’s growing demand, world-wide, for high-quality, comprehensive mental health recovery services and there’s a chance for Iowa to position itself as a go-to place for that kind of care.
Officials from two key agencies suggest there are some regulatory changes that might improve the business model for these intensive, sometimes months-long treatment programs. They said some insurance companies limit coverage for these services to just 10 days because of a reference in state law that could be changed, and there are professional requirements for employees that make it hard to fill all staff slots.
KIWA Staff Photo
