The CEO of the Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region told the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on Monday, Oct. 14, that she’ll be back to give the board updates on Iowa’s transition from mental health regions to behavioral health districts.
Mae Hingtgen, CEO of the Mental Health/Disability Services of the East Central Region, and Lori Elam, CEO of Eastern Iowa Mental Health and Disability Services Region, told the board about plans to submit a Request for Proposal to become an Administrative Services Organization to lead the new Behavioral Health District 7 that includes Muscatine County. There are seven Behavioral Health Districts.
Counties in Behavioral Health District 7 are Muscatine, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Jones, Linn, Johnson, Cedar, Clinton, Scott, Louisa and Des Moines.
“We’ve taken our show on the road, and we’ve gone to almost all 14 counties talking about the transition from mental health regions to districts,” Elam said. “This is the new system, Behavioral Health Districts. We are number seven. We are in essence merging with the East Central Region and then picking up three other counties – Louisa, Des Moines and Black Hawk County. We are the largest district, a little over 1 million people.”
The Request for Proposal is solicited to select the most qualified bidder in each Behavioral Health District to be the district lead entity to be known as a Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization, according to the Iowa Health and Human Services Amendment #1 Request for Proposal.
“Contracts with designated BH-ASOs are anticipated upon designation with an initial eighteen-month contract term effective on or before January 1, 2025,” the proposal said.
The request for proposal is due Friday, Oct. 18.
“We always had the intention of applying to be the Administrative Services Organization,” Hingtgen said. “The East Central Region right now is the largest MHDS in the state. We have 608,000 people that live in our region. We have nine counties.”
Ten organizations in Iowa issued letters of intent to bid during the Request for Proposal. Of those organizations, four submitted letters of intent to bid for District 7. MHDS of the East Central Region and Elevate Housing submitted letters of intent to bid for District 7, while UnityPoint Health and Iowa Primary Care Association submitted letters of intent to bid for all seven districts.
“What we do well is administration,” Hingtgen said. “So, we have focused on that. That’s what we’re going to talk about in our proposal.”
House File 2673, signed into law by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on May 15, 2024, includes the requirement for the transition of behavioral health services from a mental health and disability services system to a behavioral health service system, The Iowa Legislature said. The new Behavioral Health Service System will begin July 1, 2025.
“Under this legislation, Iowa will: Combine the work and funding for mental health and addictive disorders into a Behavioral Health Service System, guided by a statewide plan, focused on ensuring equitable access to prevention, treatment, recovery, and crisis services,” the Iowa Health and Human Services’ website said. “Behavioral health districts outline geographic boundaries for local coordination. HHS will work with local Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organizations to collaboratively coordinate and oversee services in each behavioral health district.”
In other action, the board:
Approved an amended proposal and contract with TNT Tuckpointing and Building Restoration LLC for $186,927 for masonry repairs on the Muscatine County Courthouse.
Approved extending a temporary moratorium on the issuance of special use permits for commercial wind energy conversion systems to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, March 16, 2025.
Approved the combined preliminary and final plat of the two lot, A-1 agricultural subdivision, Pine Grove Manor Subdivision on Yancy Avenue in Blue Grass.