(Radio Iowa) – The leader of the union that represents state prison employees says higher pay for new prison workers is a good start, but the state should offer incentives to keep veteran prison staff from leaving. Todd Copley is president of AFSCME Council 61. “As the union, we’re all for getting people paid what they should be, but there are employees that have worked here for 10 years, 15 years, 20 years that should be getting paid more than what they are getting paid right now also,” Copley says. “…Corrections officers are grossly underpaid.” Copley says the starting pay for new workers should be the new base wage or salary for employees who work in similar positions.

“You have employees that have worked at these penitentiaries for four years that are now making a shade over what a new employee has got,” Copley says. His other concern is the signing bonuses for new employees in the Department of Corrections. Copley isn’t calling for ending those bonuses, but he says there should be a requirement that the employee stay on the job for some period of time.

“There is no ‘you have to work here for five years,'” Copley says. “…There’s no stipulation to that whatsoever, so theoretically the state is stepping over a dollar to pick up a dime. It makes no sense.” And Copley says retention bonuses should be considered for correctional officers with years of experience, so they don’t leave for a better paying job or choose to retire early. Copley worked in Polk County government for nearly 32 years. He was elected president of AFSCME Council 61 last July.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Today (Thursday), the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services announces the new Behavioral Health Service District Map which defines seven geographic service and planning areas effective July 1, 2025. The district map was created using a data-driven approach to ensure that resources are allocated effectively to support the full array of behavioral health needs in Iowa.

Iowa HHS worked with stakeholders to gather feedback on these district maps to be overseen by the Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations (BH-ASOs). The stakeholder engagement efforts had a turnout of over 1,000 attendees across all sessions. In addition to stakeholder feedback, identification of areas of high need, access to care, and city and county boundaries were used to designate the districts.

These new districts consider equitable resource distribution, minimizing service disruption, enhancing access to quality care, and addressing the specific needs of specific populations. The district map is a first step in building a new geographic foundation for an integrated and efficient behavioral health system that serves all Iowans.

To learn more about the process, please see the District Map Overview.

Learn more about the Behavioral Health Service System Alignment here.

Iowa HHS will be hosting a Virtual Behavioral Health Service System District Launch on Tuesday August 6 from 12:00-1:00pm. You can join the Virtual Launch with the information below:

Behavioral Health Service System District Virtual Launch

Tuesday, August 6 – 12:00-1:00pm

Join Zoom webinar here.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says a Crawford County man escaped injury during a rollover accident early Sunday morning. In their report issued today (Thursday), the Sheriff’s Office says 29-year-old Jose Angel Reyes-Mendoza, of Denison, was driving a 2006 Honda Accord southbound on Chestnut Road at around 5:40-a.m., when he swerved to miss a deer on the road. The car went out of control and ended-up in the west ditch, where it rolled over and came to rest on its wheels.

The vehicle sustained an estimated $3,000 damage. No citations were issued.