(Omaha/Council Bluffs) – According to American Hospital Directory data, there is a shortfall of more than 300 inpatient behavioral health beds in Iowa and Nebraska. To address this need, officials with Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital and Acadia Healthcare, Tuesday, announced plans to build a state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The 96-bed hospital will include 24 inpatient beds dedicated to serving the mental health needs of children and adolescents, as well as provide outpatient services. This new facility will be a center of excellence, addressing the growing unmet need for accessible, high-quality behavioral health services in the region. (See computer renderings of the future facility below. Click on the images to enlarge.)

Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital is an affiliate of Omaha-based Methodist Health System. Pending regulatory approval, the hospital is anticipated to open in 2026. It will be operated through a joint venture partnership between Jennie Edmundson and Acadia, the largest standalone provider of behavioral health care services in the U.S. Together, the organizations will invest more than $55 million in expanding behavioral health resources in the region.

Methodist CEO and President David Burd says “This hospital will be a tremendous resource, and this partnership will help strengthen our level of expertise and implement proven best practices while enhancing the quality and number of behavioral health services available to patients throughout the area.”

Jennie Edmundson and Acadia are in the process of securing land for the hospital and will announce the location at a later date. Construction will begin once all regulatory approvals are obtained. Chris Hunter, CEO for Acadia Healthcare says “The new hospital will increase lifesaving services for individuals and families in the region. We look forward to partnering with local communities to bring hope and healing to those in need.”

This purposefully designed behavioral health hospital is anticipated to include large treatment rooms for group therapy sessions, centralized nursing stations to provide open lines of sight to all common areas, high ceilings and large windows to capitalize on natural light, serene outdoor spaces and high-tech features. Ultimately, this will allow patients from western Iowa and eastern Nebraska access to the services they need in an environment that promotes peace and well-being.

(Stuart, Iowa) – A multi-vehicle accident with injuries has Interstate 80 westbound blocked in Adair County. The crash occurred at around 5-a.m. about one-mile west of Stuart (Between Exit 93: County Road P28 and Exit 88: County Road P20). Reports say as many as five semi-tractor trailers and a passenger vehicle were involved, with two of the semi’s on their side. Stuart Police report both lanes of westbound traffic are blocked. (UPDATE): Traffic off I-80 westbound is being rerouted through Stuart on P-28, and west on White Pole Road (Country 925)  to Menlo, then south to I-80. Please take your time if traveling in that area or take a different route, if possible. Stuart Police report also, there is an additional vehicle accident at exit 93.

Additional details are currently not available.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa and ten other Midwestern states are conducting a speed awareness campaign today (Wednesday). The Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau chief, Brett Tjepkes says Iowa has seen a 25 percent increase in speeding related deaths on the roadways. He says speeding related crashes killed 84 people in Iowa in 2021. There’s some speculation the lack of traffic and open roads during the pandemic led to increased highway speeds, and it has continued with traffic back up.

Tjepkes says egregious speeds or more than 100 miles an hour have increased. The Iowa State Patrol, many sheriff’s departments and police departments are taking part in the speed awareness day. Tjepkes says they are just asking drivers to please slow down. Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas are also focusing on speed today (Wednesday).

(Radio Iowa) –  The Iowa Supreme Court has issued an order saying it will hear Governor Kim Reynolds’ appeal of a district court injunction that blocked new abortion restrictions. Reynolds signed the bill into law that that bans most abortions in Iowa after cardiac activity can be detected on July 14th. A Polk County District Court judge issued a temporary injunction blocking its enforcement four days later. Attorney General Brenna Bird says she’s glad the Supreme Court has agreed to hear the appeal and she looks forward to defending the right to life in court.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says he publicly released a document that could have information about alleged bribes to Joe and Hunter Biden because the F-B-I censored part of the memo when it was shown to a House committee. “They were trying to cover up that there were possible phone calls between Vice President Biden and some Ukrainian oligarch that he had to give the Bidens some money,” Grassley says. “Now, it’s up to the FBI to determine if there were any crimes committed.”

President Biden has denied the allegations. F-B-I officials say Grassley’s public disclosure of the document last Thursday has put a confidential source at serious risk. Grassley says it appears to him that the Justice Department isn’t investigating allegations against President Biden as aggressively as the allegations against former President Donald Trump.

“It’s very unusual in the 240 year history of our country…to have one party put the possible candidate of the other party on the dock and probably in prison,” Grassley says. Grassley says he began pushing the F-B-I about the allegations against the Bidens in 2019 and he was able to release the document last week because of government whistleblowers.

A White House spokesman says the claims in the document Grassley released have been debunked for years.