(Red Oak) — Waubonsie Mental Health Center officials are seeking Montgomery County’s contribution to a new program addressing opioid addiction in the region.
Andrea Gomez, a substance abuse counselor with the agency, asked the county’s board of supervisors Tuesday morning for funding from its remaining opioid settlement funds for a new program offering substance abuse treatment for its clients. Gomez cited statistics indicating Iowa reported 359 overdose deaths in 2024. She also says opioid deaths are high in southwest Iowa.
“Between 2014 and 2018, counties in southwest Iowa–including Montgomery and Union County–had the highest number of opioid prescriptions filled per county resident,” said Gomez. “A 2019 report indicated that Adams County had one of the highest prescription overdose rates for a rural county in Iowa. So, Union and Adams (counties) are obviously not that far from here.”
Gomez says Waubonsie Mental Health saw the need to expand its services to offer substance abuse treatment amongst its clients.
“We were approved to provide Level 1 outpatient services for juveniles and adults in September,” she said. “I believe this is a much-needed additional service in this area, and it complements our current services. We’re starting services in the Clarinda office, and we’re hoping to expand to the Red Oak and Shenandoah offices–because I’m only one person. I could rotate the offices, but I think we want to get a good start, first.”
Gomez says tackling addiction through co-occuring treatment is essential, and it improves patient outcomes.
“When you have co-occuring treatment–which is the treatment of your mental health and your substance abuse treatment,” said Gomez, “there’s reduced risk of relapse. There’s better treatment retention, and people are more satisfied. It’s also shown to be more cost effective, because the people that need these services the most are the ones that usually end up hospitalized, or in jail. So, if you improve patient outcomes, you reduce costs.”
Funding allocated by Montgomery County would cover curriculum purchases, transportation to treatment, funds for staff development and training, retention and supervision, expanding telehealth access and technology, social media campaigns and marketing. Action on Wabonsie’s funding request was not listed on the supervisors’ agenda. More discussion is expected at a future board meeting.
In other business, the supervisors accepted the bid of A.M. Cohron and Son, Incorporated for construction of new BNSF railroad bridges on L and Q Avenues, and drew Tasha Salway’s name by lot from among three candidates receiving write-in votes for a Villisca City Council at-large seat. Rick Smith, who was the top write-in votegetter in last month’s city-school elections, declined the position. The board also reappointed Millie Newman to another five-year term on the county conservation board.
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