Iowa County mental health liaison reaches beyond traditional law enforcement response

Effective law enforcement is more than arresting people who commit crimes.

Recent years have seen an approach that focuses on ensuring people in crisis situations receive the follow-up help they need without relying on hospitals or jails to solve the problem.

That’s where Unity Stevens comes in. Stevens is a mental health and law enforcement liaison attached to the Williamsburg Police Department and Iowa County Sheriff’s Office. She can respond with any law enforcement officer in Iowa County to assist when a call involves persons experiencing mental health issues. She began training for the position in early January and has been on the job in Iowa County since Feb. 6.

Stevens describes her job as a partnership with local law enforcement with the goal of improving outcomes on mental health related calls. Officers can de-escalate most situations when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis, she explains, but it’s her job to address not only the immediate crisis but the future of those involved. Her position steps into the gap in traditional law enforcement protocol that often resulted in an offender being hospitalized or jailed as a result of their actions.

An example of a situation she might respond to would be a non-violent family offense where a family member has a diagnosed or suspected mental illness. The goal is to resolve the crisis while avoiding hospitalization or arrest. Stevens is able to direct people to resources for long-term mental health care options.

When there are waiting lists for treatment, she serves as a sounding board for people who are struggling. She points out anything someone tells her is confidential and won’t be shared with law enforcement. She is also trained to perform a suicide risk assessment for adults, which allows them to receive treatment without a repeated evaluation, which can slow their access to receiving help.

One-on-one help

“People need to see there is someone who genuinely cares,” Stevens says. Her job includes one-on-one contact with people in crisis, making phone calls to follow up with them and collaboration with other organizations to find the help they need.

Although she’s not on duty 24/7, Stevens recently found herself taking a 1 a.m. phone call to provide assistance.

“It’s part of building confidence and establishing a presence,” she says. “If I refused to take that call, that just tells the individual no one has time for him or her.”

There is no such thing as a typical day on the job, Stevens notes. Right now, she is dividing her time between the Williamsburg and Marengo police departments, getting to know the officers and building relationships with them so both parties know what to expect when she is called out to assist.

“You don’t always know what you’re walking into,” she notes, adding, “The law enforcement folks here are wonderful.”

Her current ride-alongs with Williamsburg Police Department officers and members of the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office allow her to become familiar with Iowa County and its residents. She wants people to know she is available as a resource that can enhance people’s ability to overcome any issues they may face.

Stevens is no newcomer to the field of crisis intervention. She notes her childhood involved family mental health issues and that upbringing gave her insight into what’s helpful and what isn’t when it comes to moments of crisis.

She previously worked as a fire, medical and police dispatcher in Washington County and before that, as a crisis intervention specialist with CommUnity Crisis Services and Food Bank in Iowa City. There, she worked in crisis counseling, crisis screening and suicide intervention, as well as providing counseling to clients on dispatch calls in community settings.

Her volunteer experience reflects a deep interest in serving the residents on the local and state levels. She currently serves as a court appointed special advocate as well as a Foster Care Review Board member, both for the Iowa Child Advocacy Board in southeast Iowa. She also serves as a member of the Community Development Committee and Rotary International, both in Mount Pleasant, and as vice chair of the Early Childhood Iowa Board serving Des Moines, Henry, Louisa and Washington Counties.

New program

Pairing mental health liaisons with law enforcement is relatively new in Iowa, Stevens notes. Cedar Rapids began a similar program about five years ago. Iowa City launched a program in 2021, followed by Johnson County in 2022.

She hopes the position will soon become common statewide as local police and sheriff’s departments work to address the mental health component of law enforcement.

Her expectations for the immediate future focus on handling juvenile-related calls through schools and parents. She hopes by working with kids, she can gradually spread outward to reach adults in the community.

“Younger people are more receptive to seeking mental health help,” she notes. “There is life beyond mental illness.”

Post-COVID world

In recent years, mental health and mental illness have become mainstream topics without the previously associated stigma that kept many sufferers from coming forward to seek help.

“Things are different in our post-COVID society,” Stevens says. “The pandemic was a collective shared mental health crisis. Work and social interaction changed forever.”

During the pandemic years, closure of schools, people transitioning to work-from-home and the elimination of many recreation options highlighted the importance of connecting with others.

“Now, people are realizing asking for help isn’t as scary as they may think,” she says.

Stevens offers the following advice to anyone struggling.

First, asking for help is not a sign of weakness. Society is slowly transitioning from a blame-based “What’s wrong with you?” attitude to a “What happened to you?” approach, which allows a person to understand their situation may be the result of things beyond their control.

Second, you don’t have to live with your pain by yourself. Help is available.

The third point is one Stevens came to realize as a teen. If you reach out your hand, someone will reach back and take it, she says.

Family

Stevens and her husband, Sky, were married in 2019. He works as a correctional officer in Mt. Pleasant. The couple have two children.

To reach Stevens, call the Iowa County Sheriff’s Office at (319) 642-7307 or email her at Unity.Stevens@builtbycommunity.org.

Comments: Melinda.Wichmann@southeastiowaunion.com