(Radio Iowa) – A health insurance company is investing millions of dollars in mental tele-health services in Iowa’s K-12 public schools. The Cedar Rapids Community School District received one-and-a-half million dollars this week from Minnesota-based insurer UnitedHealth Group. Superintendent Tawana Grover says the money will help pay for an online tele-health portal that students can use to access mental health counseling.

“It’s one thing to check in,” Grover says. “It’s another thing to spend 30 minutes or an hour with someone that is solely focused on your needs, what you need, what you’re dealing with, and helping to not only listen, but to provide you with strategies that you can use whenever you go beyond the session.” The provider is Hazel Health, which focuses on school-based care. Brian Masterson, UnitedHealth’s senior behavioral health medical director, says starting in the schools could prevent longer term, more acute behavioral issues.

“We’ve been contemplating this for a few years, working with how do you address the mental health crisis in in our society, but also how to address that by working through it so you start an earlier time period,” Masterson says. “So in schools and those types of things, is an opportunity to teach people about the constructs of mental well-being.” UnitedHealth says it aims to provide the resources to historically under-served and rural communities. In the end, the program goal is to impact 100-thousand students.

As of Wednesday, it has funded the creation of two such programs in Des Moines and Council Bluffs. No rural programs have been announced.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak arrested a woman on drug-related charges this (Thursday) morning. 38-year-old Sara Sue Batten, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9-a.m. in the 1200 block of N. Broadway in Red Oak, on charges that include Possession of a Controlled Substance and Poss. of Drug Paraphernalia. Batten was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa)- Iowa’s Congressional delegation is back in Iowa for a work period to meet with people in their district. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, hopes they can get some work done when they return to Washington. “We’re not in session next week, but we’re in session the next three weeks after that, I’m hopeful we’re still able to move forward with good legislation,” she says. “There’s a lot of time-centric bills that we’ve put out that I’m continuing to advocate to our leadership that we need to move the ball forward on those.” This is an election year and that can often keep legislation from moving forward.

Hinson says one of the key things they have to address is the Farm Bill. “I’m hopeful we’re able to get our bill across the finish line in a bipartisan way, but again, if we can’t by that September 30th deadline, I will support an extension,” Hinson says. Hinson says she’s not sure what a Farm Bill extension would look like.

She made her comments during her weekly conference call with reporters.

(Denison, Iowa) – Firefighters in Denison responded a little before 1-a.m. today (Thursday), to a structure fire at Boysen Laundromat, in Denison. No injuries were reported. The flames were contained primarily to the east interior end of the building, with smoke damage throughout the rest of the structure. Officials estimate the blaze caused $40-to $50-thousand dollars damage to the building and $100-to 150-thousand dollars damage to the building’s contents.

Photo from our sister station KDSN in Denison.

The cause and origin of the flames were not immediately clear. The blaze remains under investigation. Denison Fire received mutual aid from the Dow City, Vail, and Manilla Fire Departments. The Crawford County Memorial Hospital provided an ambulance on stand-by. Denison Police were also on the scene.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the Small Business Administration has announced that SBA will close its Minden Business Recovery Center at 4-p.m. Friday, Aug. 30th. The SBA opened the center to provide personalized assistance to businesses that were affected by the severe storms and tornadoes that occurred April 26th and 27th.

Until the center closes, SBA customer service representatives will continue to meet with business owners to answer questions about SBA’s disaster loan program, explain the application process, help each individual complete their electronic loan application and close their approved loans. No appointment is necessary.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Business Recovery Center
Minden Fire Station
Meeting Room
205-207 Main St.
Minden, IA 51553
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Closes at 4 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30

SBA representatives will also continue to be available at the following federal-state Disaster Recovery Center to meet with businesses and residents. The center is open on the days and times indicated. No appointment is necessary.

POTTAWATTAMIE COUNTY
Disaster Recovery Center
Veterans Affairs Building
623 Sixth Ave.
Council Bluffs, IA 51501
Mondays – Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Closed on Saturday, Aug. 31 – Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day

Businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. SBA can also lend additional funds to help with the cost of improvements to protect, prevent or minimize disaster damage from occurring in the future. For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size, SBA offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. Economic injury assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any property damage.

Disaster loans up to $500,000 are available to homeowners to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate. Homeowners and renters are eligible for up to $100,000 to repair or replace damaged or destroyed personal property, including personal vehicles. Interest rates can be as low as 4 percent for businesses, 3.25 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 2.688 percent for homeowners and renters with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. Interest does not begin to accrue until 12 months from the date of the first disaster loan disbursement. SBA disaster loan repayment begins 12 months from the date of the first disbursement.

Applicants may apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at SBA.gov/disaster. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.

For SBA declaration 20318 for severe storms, and tornadoes that occurred April 26 – 27, 2024, the deadline to apply for economic injury is Feb. 14, 2025. For SBA declaration 20415 for severe storms, flooding, straight-line winds and tornadoes that occurred June 16 – July 23, 2024, the deadline to apply for property damage is Oct. 22, 2024. The deadline for economic injury is Mar. 24, 2025.