Gov. Reynolds signs Iowa mental health, suicide prevention bills in emotional ceremony

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed bills Thursday that make sweeping changes in Iowa's mental health system and which require suicide prevention training for school employees.

More than 200 people attended an emotional bill-signing ceremony in the Iowa Capitol  Rotunda where Reynolds was joined by parents and other family members of people who have experienced mental illness, including some who have taken their own lives. Many legislators, advocates,and other officials, including county sheriffs who deal with persons with mental illness, were also present.

House File 2456 expands mental health services, including the addition of six regional “access centers.” Those centers would help people who are having mental health crises, but don’t need hospitalization. 

In addition, the bill calls for “assertive community treatment” teams to help people with serious mental illness stay on their medication and in treatment so they don’t need hospitalization. The legislation also makes changes to mental health commitment rules and encourages the development of “subacute” treatment facilities, which could take patients who are ready to be released from hospitals but still need significant oversight.

Reynolds said the mental health bill began as a road map, created by a work group to develop a more complete mental health system in Iowa.

“This legislation was pushed over the finish line by individuals and families who knew firsthand the importance of having a robust mental health system and the pain caused when services they or a loved one needed weren’t there,” Reynolds said. “I know we can do better, and with this legislation, we will do better.”

However, Democratic legislators have questioned whether the Republican-led Legislature will follow through with adequate state funding to fully implement the mental health bill. Those concerns are being raised because Senate GOP members have approved a bill calling for state tax cuts of more than $1 billion annually. The House is developing its own tax reduction plan.

Under the suicide prevention bill, Iowa school employees working with students will be required to have least one hour annually of training on the subject. In Iowa, suicide is the second leading cause of death for persons 15- to 34-years-old and the third leading cause of death for children 10- to 14-years-old.

Senate File 2113  calls for State Board of Education to adopt rules requiring school districts to adopt protocols for suicide prevention and intervention after a suicide, and for the identification of adverse childhood experiences to mitigate "toxic stress response." The protocols must be based on nationally recognized best practices.

“It’s vital that steps are taken to identify the early signs of depression and mental health challenges in children,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Through early identification and intervention, we can help prevent the loss of a child to suicide.”

The governor also announced her intention to sign an executive order establishing a platform to begin developing a children’s mental health service system. The system will be based on recommendations from a 2018 children's advisory committee.

The suicide prevention training requirement applies to school personnel who have regular contact with students and who hold a license, certificate, authorization, or statement of recognition from the Board of Educational Examiners. State officials said the legislation would impose a new requirement, although evidence-based training exists now that may be used in local schools. 

School boards must establish the training requirement by July 1, 2019.