Health access troubles in southwest Iowa affect us all

Late last year, when the Governor's and Lt. Governor's budget rolled out, there was a funding line missing; no appropriations to keep the Mount Pleasant and Clarinda Mental Health Institutes (MHI) open past June. There would be bed 'realignment” to the Independence MHI. No announcement or meeting with Legislators. No transition plan shared.

Since that time, there has been a flurry of fact-finding and legislative action to slow the closures. As chair of Senate Human Resources, I joined a group of legislators to tour Clarinda's MHI and hear from patients, families and staff. It is evident, after speaking to health care workers in the community, the mental health 'region,” made up of several counties in Southwest Iowa, is not ready to handle the short-term crisis when the Clarinda MHI closes.

We met John, who was in a 15-bed unit after a mental health episode. His family was visiting from Atlantic and helping him get better. If Clarinda closes, people like John will travel about four and a half hours to the Independence MHI. The distance would prohibit family visits and aid his recovery.

We also saw the 20-bed geropsychiatric unit occupied by people who have serious mental illness. Clearly these patients would not be able to function in a community-based setting. If a private long-term care facility were to take them, staff would need high-level psychiatric training to handle the violent and complicated cases.

There are some serious questions yet to be answered. How will the Independence MHI be prepared to take patients by June? And what is the plan for psychiatric sex offenders in secured facilities, before the end of the fiscal year? We heard testimony a few weeks ago from two local hospital psychiatric clinic directors, Dr. Al Whitters and Kent Jackson, regarding the state's bed shortage. Dr. Whitters said, over a past weekend, he had 25 emergency psychiatric cases and scrambled to find beds for 10 of those cases. The closures in Southern Iowa, will affect everyone.

Turning off the lights at Clarinda and Mount Pleasant is not a transition plan. Eliminating a line in the budget is not a transition plan. The Governor and Lt. Governor need to realize that open discussion, a thoughtful design and time is needed to make this work for the vulnerable patient, their families and our mental health communities.

' Sen. Liz Mathis is chairwoman of the Iowa Senate Human Resources Committee. Comments: liz.mathis@legis.iowa.gov