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New mental health facility more spacious

Ottumwa Courier - 5/4/2018

May 04--OTTUMWA -- Southern Iowa Mental Health Center has moved to its new location in the former Bridge City Bowl at 1527 Albia Road. Southern Iowa Mental Health Center purchased the property in July 2017 and spent the winter having the building remodeled.

"It's been a long year," said Laura Webster, coordinator of client services for SIMHC.

About ten guys from Two Men and a Truck moved the offices in a day, said Webster Thursday from the new office.

"It's exciting," Webster said. "I really like it." The former facilities had client waiting and a children's play area in a small space. "It got too crammed."

The new waiting area is spacious, and the children's play space is partitioned off from the main waiting room. "I love the space," Webster said.

Offices from two locations were moved to the single building, and additional services were added. South Central Behavioral Health Region awarded SIMHC a contract to provide crisis stabilization and 23-hour observation services in the new facility.

Crisis stabilization services are designed for the patient who is in a current state of mental health crisis and is not able to return home but may not need an inpatient level of care, said SIMHC in a press release.

The crisis stabilization and 23-hour observation center are scheduled to open May 14.

SIMHC provides treatment of all types of mental illness and offers therapy and psychiatric care to children, adolescents and adults. Services are offered regardless of county of residency, and SIMHC accepts all pay sources.

SIMHC is also the integrated health home provider for Wapello, Davis, Jefferson, Van Buren, Mahaska, Wayne, Lucas, Decatur, Appanoose, Monroe and Keokuk Counties.

The nonprofit organization is a designated community mental health center accredited by the Iowa Department of Human Services.

Reporter Winona Whitaker can be contacted at wwhitaker@ottumwacourier.com and followed on Twitter @courierwinona.

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(c)2018 the Ottumwa Courier (Ottumwa, Iowa)

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