Branstad withholding judgment on future mental health changes

DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday the state's approach to utilizing mental health resources in a modernized regional delivery system should focus on how best that can be done and not necessarily where those services should be provided.

Given that, Branstad told reporters he is not willing to make any judgment on whether his administration would consider closing mental health institutes in Cherokee or Independence after deciding not to include funding in the fiscal 2016 state budget for Mental Health Institutes (MHIs) in Clarinda and Mount Pleasants and closing the facilities June 30.

'I think you've got to look at each one in their unique circumstances and who they're serving and what their mission is,” the governor said, 'so we're not making any judgment on that.”

Last week Branstad rejected a bipartisan legislative plan to keep open the Mount Pleasant MHI and transition the Clarinda MHI to a privately run facility by December, and the governor said Monday he planned to convene a working group of corrections, economic development and human services officials to decide what to do with the facilities going forward.

'We'll continue to look at what's the best way to do that, he said. 'I intend to appoint a task force that will look at Mount Pleasant and Clarinda and how we can work with the communities to market the facilities that are available there. We're going to continue to look at how we can work with the communities and find what kind of alternative uses there might be for those facilities.”

In last week's veto message, Branstad noted that Iowa's four MHIs are antiquated and costly operations that run counter to the state's effort to modernize its mental health services into a regional delivery system.

'We're going to continue to look at how we cannot continue the 18th century approach that was approved by the Legislature back before the turn of the century,” Branstad said Monday in discussing the remaining two MHIs operating in Iowa. 'Instead look at what is the best way and looking at how we best deliver the services not where we deliver the services.”