DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Closing some of Iowa’s four state mental hospitals might be needed, but people who work in the field warn that any changes should be made carefully.  Gov. Terry Branstad said last month he plans to close state mental institutions at Clarinda and Mount Pleasant and move any remaining patients to the other two state institutions this summer.

Ron Honberg with the National Alliance on Mental Illness told the Des Moines Register it can be dangerous to close facilities like this quickly. Suzanne Watson is CEO of the new, nine-county Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Region. She hopes to open a crisis center by the time the Clarinda hospital closes, but she would like to have more time to prepare.