Supervisors appeal mental health decision

July 23--OSKALOOSA -- The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors voted 2-1 Wednesday to appeal the state's decision to discontinue the two-county Mid-Iowa Behavioral Health Region.

One year ago, the Iowa Department of Human Services gave Mahaska and Marion counties provisional authorization for 12 months to act as a two-county mental health services region.

Mahaska County Central Point Coordinator Julie Bak said that Charles Palmer of the Iowa Department of Human Services did not reauthorize the two-county region for another year and gave the counties until Aug. 1 to join a contiguous mental health region.

Palmer had rejected a letter from the Mid-Iowa Behavioral Health Board of Directors asking him to reconsider his decision to not continue the two-county region.

The supervisors met in special session Wednesday to discuss their options.

"Where's the letter from DHS?" Supervisor Mike Vander Molen asked.

Bak said she had received the response letter Monday after the supervisors' regular meeting.

Vander Molen was displeased that he had not seen the letter until Wednesday, at the start of the meeting.

"There is an appeals process," Board Chairman Mark Doland said.

Doland said that Vander Molen has looked into the possibility of Mahaska County joining a 10-county mental health services region to the north.

Doland said he had spoken to a Wapello County supervisor about joining the three-county region to the south.

Supervisor Willie VanWeelden said the first step is to decide to appeal or not appeal. He thought the appeal would waste time better spent looking into joining another region.

"My preference is not appeal and head south."

"My preference is to appeal," Doland said.

Vander Molen said things have to change because the effort to form a four-county region failed and now a two-county region has failed.

VanWeelden said that he has worked with Wapello County supervisors in the past and believed Mahaska County would be a good fit with the region to the south. VanWeelden also said he would vote against an appeal.

The supervisors voted to make the appeal. Pending its outcome, they would then look at joining another region

Herald Editor Duane Nollen can be reached by email at oskynews@oskyherald.com

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