Iowa has been undergoing a transformation in its treatment of those with mental illness over the past couple years. On March 29, 2018, Governor Reynolds signed House File 2456 (which had passed the Iowa House 98-0 and the Iowa Senate 49-0) into law, providing for the creation of access centers and other intensive mental health services to be delivered through the state’s Mental Health & Disabilities Services (MHDS) regional structure.
The considerable overlap between CHCSI’s service region and the CROSS MHDS region made them ideally suited to partner on creating an access center located in southern Iowa in Osceola. An RFP to do so was awarded June 4, 2018.
Access centers provide immediate, short-term assessments for persons with serious mental illness or substance use disorders who do not need inpatient psychiatric hospital treatment, but who do need significant amounts of supports and services not available in the persons’ homes or communities. Access centers accept and serve individuals who are court-ordered to participate in mental health or substance use disorder treatment and provide services on a no reject, no eject basis. They provide or arrange for the provision of necessary physical health services. Access centers provide navigation and warm hand-offs to the next service provider as well as linkages to needed services including housing, employment, and shelter services. Check out this website to learn more about the access center and what services it will provide.