University of Iowa school mental health center expands statewide

IOWA CITY — Three years after $20 million in federal pandemic aid allowed the University of Iowa in 2021 to open a new “Center for School Mental Health” — and two years after receiving a $15 million donation to keep it going — the center is expanding to reach more school-aged kids and moving to a “fee-for-services model.”

The UI-based Scanlan Center for School Mental Health — renamed in 2022 to honor the Scanlan Family Foundation’s $15 million gift, the largest in UI College of Education history — started as therapy-based before last year building out its psychiatry clinic.

In that first year of psychiatry, the clinic targeted two of Iowa’s underserved area education agencies with minimal access to child psychiatry, according to UI clinical associate professor of psychiatry Amanda Elliott, who’s leading the expansion

“We’re now upgrading that to all students in all 99 counties across the state,” Elliott said. “If they're having difficulty … getting plugged in for psychiatric services, they're eligible to be referred to be seen inside a psychiatry clinic here with myself.”

Much of the center’s services are offered virtually — removing location as a barrier. Center staffers include Elliott as the sole psychiatrist, three doctorate-level therapists, four social-work therapists, and graduate students in social work and counseling psychology.

The center’s services going forward will be available to all K-12 students in Iowa ages 10 and up.

“The new psychiatric services will focus on psychiatric evaluations and short-term treatment for ADHD, anxiety, and depression,” according to UI spokesman Steve Schmadeke. “The need is great.”

‘We know we’re short’

Even before the pandemic exacerbated student mental health needs by imposing new external stressors — while isolating them from peers and stripping them of athletic, academic, and social experiences — child psychiatric services in Iowa were sparse.

“Our numbers in Iowa have consistently been challenging,” Elliott said.

While the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry considers 47 “child and adolescent psychiatrists” per 100,000 young people a “sufficient” number, Iowa has eight per 100,000 — or 62 total for its 730,318 residents under age 18.

A majority of Iowa counties have no child and adolescent psychiatrists — about 86 percent, according to the national academy. And the average age of those child psychiatrists it does have is 52.

Nationally, Iowa is well below the average of 15 child and adolescent psychiatrists per 100,000 young people — topping just four states: Indiana and Mississippi, which both have seven per 100,000; Idaho, reporting six; and Wyoming with five.

“We know we’re short,” Elliott said. “Of our counties, only 14 counties in the entire state have at least one child psychiatrists living in the county. And the vast majority of those are located in your more urban centers … So our rural counties really struggle to find access for that care.”

Regarding the specific mental health needs presenting in Iowa’s young people, Elliott listed ADHD, anxiety, and depression among the top issues.

“When you throw in a lot of family financial stressors, or kids that have had difficulty with their academic function that was disrupted during their COVID years, or kids that had difficulty learning all of the social skills,” she said. “Those couple of years without as much face-to-face contact had an impact on their development — so some of their social skills and academic skills are lacking going into junior high or high school, which increases their stress levels and increases the burdens of depression and anxiety that we're seeing in a lot of youth today.”

‘Financial aid available’

Those COVID needs landed the university the $20 million in federal funds to start the center in 2021, and additional philanthropy and support allowed it to expand and ramp up — providing 1,037 individual counseling sessions for 114 individual clients from 72 school districts across 60 Iowa counties between Oct. 1, 2023 and Sept. 30, 2024.

More than half were from rural counties — with 8 percent reporting no form of insurance and 24 percent on Medicaid.

Of those clients seen, about 26 percent reported suicidal ideation, 11 percent reported self-harm, 13 percent had a history of trauma, and 40 percent were experiencing bullying.

The center also delivered counseling through 73 group sessions — serving 58 people.

Because grant funding ended this year, Elliott said the center in its expansion is moving to a more traditional fee-for-service model — although its aim remains to reach underserved and low-income populations.

“We also have financial aid available for families who either don't have insurance or have high co-pays,” she said. “Having a built-in safety net we want to be available for the kids and families who are falling into a lot of the gaps.”

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com