Public and private sectors should add mental health beds, Hubbell says

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad City Times

The state should partner with the private sector to add at least 50 to 75 inpatient mental health beds in Iowa, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Fred Hubbell said Monday, part of a plan he released to change the way mental health services are provided in the state.

Hubbell, one of seven Democrats running for his party's nomination for governor, released a four-page plan a day ahead of a forum on the topic in Des Moines.

Hubbell also said he would reverse last year's move to turn management of the state's Medicaid program over to private companies and institute a review to determine 'the most cost-efficient program that provides the necessary services.” All of the Democrats running for governor have criticized the Medicaid change.

Hubbell, who recently toured the state to talk about mental health issues, said it is a topic that comes up wherever he goes and the state must do better.

'Iowans are paying a high human cost and also high financial costs because of the inadequacies of our mental health system,” he said.

Hubbell cited a study saying Iowa is last in the nation in the number of state-run mental health beds. And his plan called for 'at least 50-75 high-intensity mental health beds for inpatient treatment in a public/private partnership.”

No other details were provided in his plan.

Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven has defended the state's approach and said the focus on inpatient mental health beds is shortsighted.

GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds also has questioned how Democrats would pay for a Medicaid program that goes back under state management.

Part of Hubbell's plan also dealt with the shortage of behavioral health providers. He said the state should put more effort into programs like loan forgiveness to lure professionals to the state.

The plan also would more closely coordinate services for mental health and addiction; 'empower” local communities to determine their own needs and provide a range of services; encourage more use of tele-psychiatric services; create a mental health program for children and provide more help to law enforcement to deal with the opioid problem and incarceration diversion programs.

In response to Hubbell's plan, Reynolds campaign spokesman Pat Garrett said that 150,000 more Iowans are getting mental health coverage than in 2011, when Reynolds became lieutenant governor. Garrett also noted the Reynolds' administration recently approved a new 72-bed mental health hospital in Bettendorf, and he said the number of inpatient psychiatric beds have increased from 721 to 747 since January 2016. That same year, he said, the state also invested $4 million to create three new medical residency programs to train more psychiatrists.

'There's more to do, which is why we are focused on concrete solutions and progress to help Iowans in every corner of the state,” he added.