(Le Mars) — If you have been following the actions of counties with regards to regional mental health programs, you would think they are playing a game of musical chairs with each one hoping to find a chair before the music ends. Iowa law requires at least three counties to make up a mental health region. First, Woodbury County had requested to leave the Sioux Rivers
Regional Mental Health program for Rolling Hills. That left Plymouth and Sioux Counties in search of either joining another mental health region, or recruiting a bordering county to become a member of the Sioux Rivers Region.
Initially, last week, Plymouth County had accepted an invitation to be with the Northwest Iowa Care Connections, but Sioux County was not accepted.
Now, the latest turn of events has Lyon County to leave the Northwest Iowa Care Connections to join Sioux and Plymouth as part of the Sioux Rivers Mental Health program. And to make this scenario even more confusing, five counties on the eastern edge of the Northwest Iowa Care Connections have asked to become members. Don Kass is the chairman of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors, and tries to make sense of the constant changes, and the present situation.
Kass says Lyon County Board of Supervisors approved joining Sioux and Plymouth Counties to make up the third essential county for Sioux Rivers Mental Health Region.
Kass believes with Lyon County joining Sioux Rivers, it will mean good news for everyone.
The Plymouth County Supervisors says mental health services should be better with the three counties, as opposed to the proposed 13 county region.
Kass says the county board of supervisors will formally vote on the measure during next week’s meeting. He says he believes the supervisors will approve Lyon County’s request to become part of the Sioux Rivers Region, and at the same time, Plymouth County Supervisors will notify Northwest Iowa Care Connections that they intend to withdraw their request.
