By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The Iowa legislature has approved the governor’s plan to create a combined system to help Iowans with a mental illness as well as those with addiction issues.

Republican Representative Joel Fry of Osceola said it’s the culmination of many years of work to improve services. “I have worked on a variety of different pieces related to mental health and substance abuse for my last 14 years here,” said Fry, who is not seeking reelection, “and this is a great opportunity for the state of Iowa to be able to see these two worlds merge and to have a system statewide that I believe will benefit Iowans in some pretty dramatic ways.”

There are currently 13 mental health regions and 19 separate substance use treatment regions in Iowa. On July 1, 2025, they’ll be combined into seven behavioral health districts. Advocates say it will be particularly helpful for people who have a mental health diagnosis and also need treatment for substance abuse.

The bill does not provide a new source of funding for the system, but state officials say after the merger, they’ll be able to use $23 million that hasn’t been spent in some of the mental health regions.