Mental health has been a growing concern in Iowa, especially after Governor Terry Branstad’s budget proposal aims to close down mental health facilities in Clarinda and Mount Pleasant.

Concerns across the state are also coming from law enforcement agencies who are the ones that oftentimes transports individuals to and from mental health facilities.

Greene County Sheriff Steve Haupert says since there is already a shortage of space for individuals to go to psychiatric units, they sometimes take people as far as Omaha to receive treatment.  He notes that it’s been a growing problem and that Branstad wants it to be more about the mental health regions taking responsibility and less about state government.

Haupert states that they make several trips to the facility in Cherokee which has also drastically cut its number of psychiatric beds.  With all the cost-cutting from the state facilities, it puts more pressure on the private facilities like at St. Anthony’s Regional Hospital in Carroll who also has a list of criteria to follow in order to admit someone for mental health treatment.

One possible solution is the mental health regions coming up with different programs and services to offer, but Haupert adds that those programs are not ready.

“Probably, we have not got all things in place yet for that to happen.  I know counties are working on that, so that transport won’t hopefully in the future be very far but as of yet that’s not a reality.”

A facility in Woodward is currently being remodeled to a crisis care center to help serve local people and alleviate law enforcement from having to take individuals to facilities that are further away.