There’s new funding to expand mental health services for Iowa youth over the next three years.
Experts at University of Iowa Health Care say the money couldn’t come at a more dire time, pointing to stats that show one in 10 Iowa high school students have attempted suicide.
Experts say the pandemic has had an adverse effect on mental health, and they’re hoping this grant will get Iowa students the help they need.
“The need is greater than the number of therapists than we have in and outside of school so I think it’s really important to have access to funds to be able to expand those services and meet the needs of more kids,” Linn Mar High School Student Assistance Counselor Jessica Deahl said.
The $2.25 million grant funded through the Iowa Dept. of Health and Human Services will be used for the Iowa Pediatric Mental Health Care Access Program.
They’ve already been using the grant for five years, and now it’s being renewed as these mental health partnerships expand the availability of services across Iowa.
One of the biggest goals is increasing the number of mental health care providers in the state.
Dr. Tom Scholz, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa and Iowa’s Title V Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs Director, says the funding will also help expand telepsychiatry services, especially in Iowa’s rural areas.
He says psychiatrists, psychologists, and therapists are limited within the state and tend to be available more in urban areas, so that makes it harder for residents in rural areas to tend to access mental health services.
“So it’s a great way to again provide those mental health services into these areas where there are a limited number of mental health professionals for kids and families to access,” Dr. Scholz said.
It’s a collaborative effort between UI’s child health care experts, UI’s College of Education, primary care doctors, and mental health providers.
Now, the goal between the Scanlan Center for School Mental Health and UI’s College of Education is to bring services directly to students at school.
“Kids that are identified as having need for evaluation for mental health services, they’ll be able to get those services directly in the school without having to travel this school or have to inconvenience their parents,” Dr. Scholz said.
Deahl says this grant is important because there are not enough community based counselors to meet the needs of youth and adults.
Linn-Mar currently has a student assistance counseling team for Kindergarten through 12th grade, and they also have school counselors in each building in the district, providing emotional, social, and academic supports.
She says its important to address mental health issues with kids sooner rather than later.
“We are teaching them younger when they’re adults they are better able to handle more serious situations that occur as life throws situations at them we’ve helped build capacity when they’re young,” Deahl said.
Deahl says depending on her schedule, she may meet to eight to 14 students a day. She has a team of two other people, and they also meet with about a dozen students a day as well.
Deahl also recommends Foundation Two as another local resource for crisis and intervention services.
If you or someone you love is struggling right now, don’t be afraid to ask for help or call the nation’s free 988 crisis life-line, which takes calls 24/7.