The director of the Iowa Department of Human Services says a plan to redesign Iowa’s county-based system for delivering mental health services should also tackle a critical shortage of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals. D-H-S director, Chuck Palmer, says lawmakers acknowledge that Iowa’s shortage of psychiatrists is one of the most severe in the country. “It’s the full range, we have acute problems, particularly in rural Iowa. We see it as a significant need and we have to take it on,” Palmer says. Palmer says the bill to reorganize the mental health delivery system includes a study of the shortage of the people needed to run the system.

“The legislature has built into the bill the creation of a workforce group that’s to look at the full range of providers — from psychiatrists where we’re 47th in the nation — to even building up more people trained in peer support,” Palmer explains. Providers say the shortage means a lack of access to mental health care in some parts of the state, especially rural Iowa. Lawmakers say they’re optimistic they will reach agreement on their plan to standardize mental health care statewide and have the state pick up more of the cost.

(Dar Danielson/Radio Iowa)

An event scheduled to take place next Monday night at the Treynor Community Center, will benefit a member of the American Legion Post in  Treynor, who was critically injured last December. According to the Omaha World-Herald, the benefit fish fry for Jerry Lustgraaf will be held from5- to 7-pm Monday at the Community Center, located at 11 West Main Street. The cost is $8 per person.

Lustgraaf, who was the driver of a tow truck, went to help a motorist who had gone into a ditch during an ice storm on December 3rd. He was outside of his truck when he was hit by another vehicle. Lustgraaf was released from the hospital in late January, and while he continues to recuperate at his Treynor home,  it will be months before he can return to work. All of the  proceeds from the benefit fish fry Monday night will go to Lustgraaf’s family, to defray his injury-related expenses.

Anyone with items to donate can contact Post 725 Adjutant Ken Koehler at 712-487-3813.

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Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman said Tuesday, Gronewold, Bell, Kyhnn & Company P.C. CPAs have released an audit report on Cass County. The report shows the County had local tax revenue of $22,858,378 (roughly $22.86-million) for the year ended June 30th, 2011, which included $1,414,745 ($1.4-million) in tax credits from the state.

The County forwarded just over $16.26-million of the local tax revenue to the townships, school districts, cities and other taxing bodies in the County. The County retained $6.59-million of the local tax revenue to finance County operations, which is a 14.5 percent increase from the prior year. Other revenues included approximately $5.38-million from the state, including indirect federal funding of $837,755, and direct federal funding of $725,657, charges for service of $364,599, and $160,970 for the use of money and property.

Expenditures for County operations totaled nearly $11.94-million, which is a 9.1 percent decrease from the prior year. Expenses included slightly more than  S4,16-million for roads and transportation, $1.9-million for mental health, $1.85-million for public safety and legal services, and just over $1.07-million for administrative services.

A copy of the audit report is available for review in the office of the Auditor of State and the County Auditor’s office.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education held a special, closed session Tuesday night.

Becky Oliver (Photo from School District's website)

When the session concluded and the open session resumed, the board voted to terminate the employment of  Food Service employee, Becky Oliver, who worked at the Washington Elementary School. No reason was announced for the termination.

A program designed to help people cope with loved ones’ destructive behavior is opening a chapter in Omaha/Council Bluffs, the first chapter in either Nebraska or Iowa. Under the 12-step Families Anonymous program, only first names are used. The local organizer, Sally, says F-A helps people deal with the impact brought on by the problems of others.  She says, “Anyone who is concerned about relatives or friends who abuse drugs or alcohol or any substances.” Sally says anyone who has a friend or family member struggling with an addiction knows how this has a ripple effect and impacts many lives.

F-A was founded in 1971 by a group of parents in California. Sally learned about Families Anonymous when searching for a group to help her. She’s been associated with a person with an addiction for about three years and says she started attending meetings on-line.  “In my particular situation, once I began working the 12 steps and began working on me, I began to be able to handle situations very differently by reacting to them differently,” she says. “It changed my life. I feel like I’m getting back to who I was before.” While the group is called Families Anonymous, she says it isn’t exactly set up for smaller children. Sally says, “It’s not something you would probably want to bring a child to but anybody in their teenage years or older would be someone who would able to work the steps appropriately and benefit from the program.”

The local chapter will meet every Wednesday night at 6:30 at Methodist Hospital in Omaha. There are about 225 regular F-A meetings in the U-S and in more than 20 countries.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

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