Iowa HHS announces new behavioral health districts

The law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May requires the state to merge Iowa’s 13 Mental Health and Disability Service regions with its 19 Integrated Provider Networks for addiction treatment.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services released the map showing the boundaries of the seven new behavioral health districts.

DHHS held four sessions this summer to get stakeholder feedback on the map. According to the department, more than 1,000 service providers, advocates and people with lived experience participated.

Ryan Crane, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness in Iowa, said local governments may have different opinions on the new districts, but he said seeing the map is an important first step toward overhauling behavioral health care under the new law.

“I just think, in the longer arc, it’s undeniable that the substance use and behavioral health being thought of together and thought of as concurrent and co-occurring is just everything,” Crane said. “It’s so important.”

He said he is hopeful and optimistic about the rollout of the state’s plan.

Even though the seven behavioral health districts have been drawn, the new system isn’t up and running yet. By the end of this year, the state is required by law to contract with an administrative services organization to oversee each district. Each district would also have an advisory council to provide input from stakeholders.

In March, DHHS Director Kelly Garcia said on IPR that the district boundaries are not meant to restrict where people can access services. Rather, the purpose of the districts, she said, is to focus on ensuring equitable access to services across the state.

“I don’t want Iowans to have to think about a boundary map to understand where they go,” Garcia said. “So, the first really significant movement that happens in the shaping of this legislation is we remove those boundaries. Iowans can go to a service provider of their choice.”

Current funding for mental health and substance use disorder treatment will be combined into one behavioral health fund controlled by DHHS.

DHHS has until July 1, 2025 to get the new behavioral health system started.