I support Amy Nielsen for state representative in Iowa House District 77 because she supports funding for improved mental-health care access in Iowa.

As most people in our state know, we have a mental-health crisis in Iowa. A Treatment Advocacy Center report out earlier this year ranked Iowa 50th for the number of state psychiatric beds per capita (2 per 100,000 residents). More than two-thirds of Iowa counties don’t have a practicing psychiatrist, and there are only a handful of psychiatric residency slots at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics.

Hi Mitch
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Gov. Terry Branstad has closed two of the mental-health facilities (Clarinda and Mount Pleasant) and closed a 15-bed unit for children at the Mental Health Institution in Independence earlier this year. Branstad maintains that it is better for those with mental illnesses to get care “in the community.” Sadly, Iowa simply does not have the community-based resources at the level that many people with serious mental illnesses need. Many truly need 24-7 care, and this is simply not available with any regional agency.

My interest in mental-health care stems from having a child who suffers from a very severe mental illness. This illness has evolved over the last 10 years, requiring 18 hospitalizations and a wide range of treatments. Many of these hospitalizations have required waiting hours to days for a hospital bed to become available (some at facilities across the state).

The sad truth is that some patients truly need long term institutional care. Closure of these facilities causes acute-care beds to be used for patients who need longterm care. This prevents access for patients with acute mental-health needs. For many of those who lack family or community support — the result is unnecessary suffering, homelessness, incarceration, and many times, death. This situation can and should be improved.

In Iowa, we need to elect more legislators who understand this crisis and support changes to first offset the damage that Branstad has caused and then to find ways to expand the Iowa mental-health-care system.

Over the past couple of years, I have become more involved with the National Alliance on Mental Illness after becoming aware of how many people are affected by mental illnesses in our community, our state, and across the country. I am now a member of the Johnson County alliance Board of Directors and also serve as a member of the Advocacy & Outreach Committee. I feel an urgent need to speak out, to educate, and to advocate for improvements in our system of mental-health care. This has led to becoming involved in supporting the campaigns of candidates who are interested in supporting legislation to improve mental-health care.

Nielsen understands the crisis in mental-health care and supports efforts to improve services and access in our state. This, combined with her strong support of improved education funding, and her experience and record as the mayor of North Liberty, make her an excellent person to serve as a state representative. I urge you to vote for her.       

— Leslie Carpenter