DESMOEKS – Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) has been chosen by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) to be the Administrative Service Organization for the state’s new Behavioral Health System. This was announced today. The planned start date for this new system’s operations is still July 1, 2025.
Governor Kim Reynolds said, “Last session we passed a historic behavioral health bill with overwhelming bipartisan support. This bill will bring Iowa’s 32 separate mental health and substance use service regions together into one system.” “By combining these services in this way, we will be able to better coordinate care, which will help each person have the best outcomes possible.” This is what the people of Iowa deserve, and we plan to give it to them.
The ASO is in charge of setting up a network of providers and making sure that everyone in Iowa can get the care and support they need in a clear and uniform way. The ASO will work with local leaders, school officials, police, health care providers, and public health professionals to create and implement a unified operational plan that meets the specific needs of each district.
Iowa HHS Director Kelly Garcia said, “Iowa Primary Care Association is a well-known and trusted health care provider in the state. Now that they are the statewide ASO, they become the welcoming front door for people who need support and care for their mental health.” “Iowa PCA has shown that they are uniquely qualified to carry out the vision of this new system. They already have a presence in communities across our state and a complete IT infrastructure that helps to streamline service delivery.”
“Iowa Primary Care Association supports new ways of delivering care and plans to make that approach bigger so that the whole system can get the same set of core services,” said Marissa Eyanson, director of the Behavioral Health Division at Iowa HHS. “Iowa PCA has also made a solid plan to make sure that services for Iowans don’t stop during the transition period and after the new system goes live.”
Go to https://hhs.iowa.gov/initiatives/system-alignment/behavioral-health-service-system to find out more about the Behavioral Health Service System.
