Articles Tagged: Mental health

CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank has added a youth mobile crisis counselor to the team to meet the growing needs in Johnson and Iowa counties.

After several months of serving virtually-based mental health services to Spanish speakers in Iowa, entrepreneur Carlos Arguello prepares Sevelyn to reach Latinos around the country.

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Linn County is offering a free virtual eight-week educational course for family members of adults living with mental illness. Registration is required by Monday and the course begins Jan. 5.

The Badge 713 Mental Health Scholarship was recently established to offer financial support for individuals in need of mental health services locally. The fund aims to be an extension of the public service first responders provide to their community, officials say.

Linn County Mental Health Access Center now offers a 24-hour sobering unit and takes direct referrals from law enforcement. Both will further alleviate unnecessary visits to emergency rooms and overcrowded jails.

School District Social Worker Michelle Wilson has lead the project over many years and through the pandemic and after the derecho, she is seeing more need than before

Those with vivid mental illness experience and experts in the field are still trying to answer the question: How do we keep those with mental illness in treatment and out of the criminal justice system?

More college and university students nationally and locally are in need of mental health resources in the wake of pandemic-related changes and challenges, according to recent surveys and campus experts.

Erin Foster, Linn County Mental Health Access Center director, says, “This is a no-judgment place where we understand the wide spectrum of crisis and are prepared to assist in any way that we can. We have some of the best organizations and people working here who know so much about how to navigate this difficult system.”

Throughout the course of the pandemic, Iowans have experienced more anxiety, depression and negative effects on their mental health. Local providers are working to help residents address those conditions through free services. Without it, the loss and stress and disconnect could have “a cumulative effect” on their overall well-being.

Superintendent Greg Batenhorst wants students to graduate the district with a ‘good heart and an open mind.’

Partnership with Foundation 2 provides access to trained mental health professionals for all 32 school districts.

School districts across Eastern Iowa are adding counselors and mental health supports as more students return to in-person learning Monday.

The pandemic has drastically changed the need for service dogs at facilities and for those with PTSD, prompting Deafinitely Dogs to shift its focus.

Joachim Seelos has been hired to fill a position approved by the City Council in February with the goal of reducing police interventions with people experiencing mental health crises.