Expert: Without a plan in place, closing MHIs is a prescription for disaster

DES MOINES (AP) ? Closing some of Iowa?s four state mental hospitals might be needed, but people who work in the field warn that any changes should be made carefully.

Gov. Terry Branstad said last month he plans to close state mental institutions at Clarinda and Mt. Pleasant this summer and move any remaining patients to the other two state institutions in Cherokee and Independence or to private programs.

Ron Honberg with the National Alliance on Mental Illness told the Des Moines Register it can be dangerous to close facilities like this quickly.

?If there?s not a good plan in place, it?s frankly a prescription for disaster,? said Honberg.

As officials plan to close the two state mental institutions, Iowa is also working to improve community mental health services.

Regional agencies are adding programs, such as crisis centers where people can stay for a few hours or days. Those programs are supposed to be an alternative to expensive hospitalizations.

Suzanne Watson, CEO of the new, nine-county Southwest Iowa Mental Health and Disabilities Region, said she hopes the new crisis center in Clarinda is ready by the time the Clarinda hospital closes, but she would like to have more time to prepare.

?These are great programs,? she said of the new alternatives. ?We?re just jumping the gun a little bit. It would be great to have about a year to plan.?

The use of Iowa?s mental hospitals has been decreasing gradually over the years. The development of modern psychiatric medications and treatment methods has made it possible for many people to receive treatment while living at home or in a small group home.

Now, fewer than 300 patients are being treated at the four state institutions at any one time.

But advocates of the state programs aren?t happy with the decision to close the facility. Mike Olson drove 75 miles to testify at a community hearing and urge officials to reverse the closure.

Olson said his daughter, Erika, spent several months at Mt. Pleasant about six years ago and was able to find an approach that?s working for her bipolar disorder and problems with drugs and alcohol.

?Please don?t deny others what we got here,? he said.

Shelly Chandler, executive director of the Iowa Association of Community Providers, said she thinks private agencies can expand services to help the people who have been treated at the state institutions.

But Chandler said the people treated at the institutions are often the most complicated and challenging cases, and current reimbursement rates may not cover the cost of those complicated cases.