Current available mental health care services are insufficient for our community.
On average, a person in Polk County waits 120 days for access to
mental healthcare services.
Here is why services are insufficient:
-Currently, nearly 200 people in Polk County are waiting for mental health care services
-There is currently a 120 day average waiting period to receive mental health care services in Polk County
-Iowa currently ranks 47th out of 50 in psychiatrists per capita
-While 1 in 4 adults (approximately 140,000 people in the Des Moines area) experience a mental health disorder every year, Iowa currently has approximately 6 mental health beds per 100,000 citizens
-15% of all emergency room visits are related to individuals in need of mental healthcare
-Currently, inpatient mental health beds are at 100% utilization, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — the demand is critically outstripping our ability to respond
