I am still in love with Iowa

I came to Iowa in 1978 with my 7- year- old son. My decision to move from the east coast to Iowa was based on extensive research about the state. Iowa had much to offer with its strong land grant university, one of the best public education systems in the nation, and a strong research-based health care system. Iowa was also ranked as being one of the top mental health care systems in the nation. My new home state supported three Federally Certified Community Mental Health Care Systems. Iowa also cared about protecting land and water resources. The journey here was long but worth it.

My 7-year-old screamed with joy, believing the “Welcome to Iowa” sign was meant for us. We both grew in this new nurturing rural environment. Our neighbors taught us the legacy of hard work, persistence and stamina. We learned to truck on despite the winter storms, the drought, the farm crisis, and the political decisions made by people who did not understand the unintended consequences of their actions and inactions.

As a former mental health worker and a director of a nine-county mental health center, over the years I have watched the steady weakening of services for the mentally ill to an unconscionable level. Access to services is severely limited by transportation, shortages of providers, lack of affordable housing and hospital beds. We now rank 50th for available hospital beds and are close to the bottom of all states for access to basic services for the mentally ill. Iowans have lived in a federally designated mental health shortage area for over 20 years.

Friends and neighbors of mine talk of needing to wait four to five months to see specialists for a first appointment. A good friend died one day before her four-month wait to see a liver specialist. Recently, when I asked a doctor in training about future plans, he said he and his wife would not be staying in Iowa because they want to have children and are concerned about raising children in a state with an increasingly fragile public education system. They are also worried about the safety of the state's water system. These native-born Iowans will miss living close to family.

Would I move here today, some 40 years later, the answer is no. The data is not favorable. Would I ever leave my beloved state, the answer is no. Community members have instilled in me the need and the will to fight for this land and my community. Their values and their love of Iowa have been engrained in my soul and are now a part of me. Deep in my heart I believe we can do better. I am still in love with Iowa, warts, and all. Now is the time to listen, speak and act for a stronger, more humane Iowa.

Joan Blundall lives in Tipton.